Bruised
by bookworm03
Summary: Part Three in the Disenchanted-series. Tony, Michelle, Jack, Bill, OCs- Alex and Rick. EPILOGUE is UP! Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.
1. Prologue

Bruised 

**A/N: **_So this is the third (and final!) story in this series. The prologue spans between 1 and 3 months post __Against the Grain__ and I think everything will become clear once you read. I feel like I kinda pulled out all the stops for this one, so I really, really hope you enjoy it._

_Prologue _

Alex groaned, squinting her eyes shut and pressing her temple against the kitchen table. Her head was still spinning and she felt nauseous. She remembered why she didn't drink tequila now.

Fuck. She was so stupid sometimes. What the _hell _had she been thinking?

She hadn't been thinking. That was the problem. Had she been thinking she might've thought, "hey, maybe sleeping with the person whose place you're crashing at indefinitely isn't the smartest idea you've ever had". Or "wow, doing anything while this drunk probably isn't something you want to consider".

The point had been to not think, though. She'd been thinking about everything for the last month with no end in sight. She just wanted one night – one hour even – where she wouldn't have to think about the deadened weight in the pit of her stomach; where she wouldn't have to wonder when a twin-bed became too much space and to have to miss him to the point where it made her physically ill.

There was also the possibility that on some subconscious level Alex had resided herself to the fact that she might not make it back from this at all and if that was the case she didn't want the last person she'd ever…to be a terrorist. At least now the last person to ever be _with her _wasn't someone who made the bile rise in her throat and every inch of her skin crawl…

At that instant, Chase walked into the kitchen bare-chested and offering her a slightly awkward smile and it all came flooding back again. Suddenly she had a memory of kissing him smack dab in the middle of the bar and of him being as drunk as she was. She remembered agreeing without constraint when he suggested they leave and the sound of their lips meeting again and again the entire cab ride back to the apartment. She remembered starting to undress clumsily as soon as the front door closed, stumbling to his bedroom and leaving a trail of clothes in their wake. She remembered thinking about how he was almost the right height but that everything else was completely wrong: the pressure was wrong when he cupped her breasts and buried his fingers in her hair; he didn't spend enough time nibbling her neck; the kisses he placed on her mouth used the wrong amount of tongue and never once did he bite her lip. She admitted it probably would've felt nice when he slid between her thighs had she been sober enough to feel anything like that, and when he finally pushed inside her it wasn't _bad _sex. He certainly knew what he was doing. He found the right angle quickly enough and he hit the right spot and she definitely came…

But his shoulders felt wrong beneath her fingertips and his lips were too hard against hers for a reassuring kiss in the middle of the throws of passion; there wasn't enough give in them to make it soft and feel like they were meant to be there, like he was her other half. It didn't look right when she glanced up and saw cropped blond hair, but the worst was his eyes. Everything was wrong with his eyes…wrong size, wrong shape, wrong color… They were eyes that barely knew her instead of eyes that knew her better than anyone. It was so bad she had to look away when he slid inside her for fear she might breakdown in tears.

And he asked too many questions. She'd obviously been spoiled with…because with _him_ one look and he knew exactly what she was thinking – whether it be in the bedroom or in the field or on the car ride home at night – no matter how trivial, he knew what she was thinking without ever having to ask. Chase asked to make sure she was okay, which was nice, granted, but every time he opened his lips she was reminded that he wasn't who she wanted him to be. It wasn't the voice she'd been aching to hear for the last month. Thank god he hadn't attempted to use any terms of endearment.

She blushed a little when Chase bade her good morning.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Um…good, thank you."

The morning after wasn't right either. Chase had to ask her how she took her coffee and they sat at opposite ends of the table. There was no sidling up behind her with his hot mouth on her neck or trying to coax her to shower with him... With Chase it was uncomfortable, just like with all the others…

"Have you seen Jack?" she blurted out suddenly. Chase winced.

"Yeah uh…I couldn't sleep earlier and I bumped into him…apparently he came back around 3 and the apartment's kinda small and we were…so he left for a bit. He's down at the office now, visiting one of the guys he used to work with."

Alex cringed. Jack had heard them. Fantastic.

Suddenly Chase lifted an eyebrow at her, putting on a sleazy voice he spoke:

"So was it good for you?"

She burst out laughing without meaning to, and Chase laughed back, the tension broken.

"Was Jack pissed?"

"_Oh yeah_…" Chase snorted. "But Jack finds a way to be pissed off at everything so I wouldn't take it too personally… Plus, I think it was more me than you."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the one who ordered that fifth round of shots."

"Yes, but I have a habit of violating the women in Jack's life."

Alex raised an eyebrow, deciding not to argue being clumped as a 'woman in Jack's life'.

"Who else?"

"Well…" Chase shrugged. "Just Kim, but that was a pretty critical one."

Alex laughed morbidly. Chase managed to form a loose fist with his right hand. It still frustrated him that he wasn't what he used to be. Especially now when all he had was his job and he couldn't even do the job he wanted to.

"Jack said they thought Michelle was dead for a while." He changed the subject so suddenly Alex started before answering.

"Uh…yeah."

"And that you pulled her out."

"I guess."

"And now they're back at CTU?"

Alex scowled. "They weren't supposed to be. Tony was helping out for a few weeks while Michelle recovered and then she wanted to come back for a bit and it just…I told them to get the hell out before I left."

Chase snorted. "Yeah…easier said than done."

She was wary when she asked her next question.

"You were with Jack in Mexico?"

"For part of it. The other part I was doing some stuff at CTU for the mission. Tony's brother was running Field Ops at the time."

Her expression changed again and he stared at her knowingly. It was the first time Chase had ever mentioned Rick to her. She'd been banking on the fact that he didn't know Rick even existed, and now he gave the impression that he knew about it all.

"Nice guy…smart guy…it was one of those things that if we couldn't have Jack we were glad to have him. He was pretty young at the time too…" suddenly Chase let out a laugh. "Also _exactly _the kind of guy you took the bar if you wanted to pick up…before Kim, I mean. I dunno what the hell he did but it always worked. The only thing was if there was someone you were both interested in you knew who she was going home with…"

There was an awkward silence before Alex finally broke it.

"He trained me." She said quietly. "At Langley."

"Jack said he might've been the reason you left."

"Jack should mind his own fucking business."

Chase sighed impatiently, wondering if Alex's abrasive defense would ease up before she left.

"Was he screwing with you?"

"Yeah…" Alex snorted. "I gave up everything to come and get myself killed with Jack because Rick Almeida hurt my feelings…"

"It was just a question."

"I gave you an answer."

Chase sighed again, rising from his chair and crossing the room to a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. He pulled out a chocolate brown envelope and tossed it in front of Alex. She stared at him curiously for a second before pulling out whatever was inside. The writing was in fancy calligraphy on a piece of cream-colored paper. The backing was also chocolate brown.

The words were simple: none of the flowery '_Mr and Mrs. So-in-so request the pleasure of your company in the joining in holy matrimony of their daughter…' _stuff you usually saw. It was simple. Names and a date and a church.

The name was what really stuck out though.

_Kimberly Bauer. _

"What happened?"

Chase took a long sip of his coffee, obviously considering the question.

"When she thought Jack was dead she withdrew. Her mom died years before…I dunno if Jack told you…"

"Tony did."

Chase took another sip from his coffee. "She wasn't the same. We'd been together for years and she just stopped telling me things. She went to counseling and I started to notice changes…with her therapist."

Alex made a face.

"She wasn't cheating on me. Kim would never have done that but… she told him everything and told me nothing and it just made me feel obsolete."

Alex could've told you within five minutes of meeting him that feeling obsolete was what Chase hated more than anything; she could tell from the way he constantly clenched his right hand to test it's strength, as if hoping one day it might be back to fighting form.

"Anyway uh…" He shrugged again. "My daughter's mother was in a bad place when I left CTU and ended up giving her to me. Right around the time Kim started therapy Angie's mom sued for sole custody. She'd married some big shot lawyer and had…" he snorted, "had a 'suitable' environment for her. After that Kim and I just fell apart. I think part of the reason we lasted as long as we did was because of Angie."

"You miss her?" she hadn't meant to come across as insensitive. It just came out.

"Yeah. It's weird to go from having someone around everyday of your life to being alone again. It's why I took the job here. I needed a change."

Alex managed a reassuring smile that she couldn't really mean. It sounded awful. Bad things happened to everyone at CTU. It was a curse.

"Now you?"

"What?"

Chase smirked a little, leaning back against the island. "I spilled…now it's your turn."

Alex stared at him, obviously preparing to flat out refuse to talk about it. He'd been coping for almost two years and she hadn't even hit two months yet…

Maybe it was the fact that she'd had sex with the man, maybe she was touched by his own admission or maybe she wanted someone she could talk to that wasn't Jack. Either way, she gave him the briefest account she could of what had happened her last day at CTU.

Chase winced. "So you uh…had…"

"We were sleeping together."

He lifted his head slightly.

"That's all I get?"

Alex's breath rattled in her throat.

"That's all there was. Some things went down and they wanted to arrest him and I cut a deal. I figured this has to be better for us both."

"You gave up your entire life for someone you were sleeping with?"

Alex ran her fingers over her mug.

"He's…he was my best friend. He saved my ass a million times and he was only in the situation because of me." She shrugged offhandedly, lowering her eyes to her hands.

"Didn't really seem like a choice."

* * *

"Mi-cheeelllleeeee!" Tony yelled as soon as he pushed in the front door, arms full of grocery bags. No answer.

Frowning, he dropped the bags in the kitchen and climbed the staircase, hollering for her again as he poked his head into their bedroom. Too late it occurred to him that she might be napping. They'd been up late last night…and the night before that…and that night before that… And so far, nothing. The lack of sleep wasn't really taking its toll on them, (they'd been compiling old contacts from their security company from before, but they still hadn't decided on a permanent place of residence yet or felt any compelling desire to go back to work), but the persistent negative results were. He knew Michelle was worrying, even though it hadn't been that long.

"Bathroom!" she called. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice and Tony's heart started to race. She was at it again.

"Anything?" he called back, anxious now too but trying to keep her from hearing it.

Her face gave it away as soon as the bathroom door swung open less than thirty seconds later. Her eyes lowered to the floor and she shrugged and shook her head. Tony exhaled solemnly and sank down to the bed, holding out a hand. Michelle took a few deep breaths before stepping close enough for him to pull her between his legs.

His arms circled her hips and he kissed her quickly a few times through her shirt. Her hands moved to his hair and she sighed.

"It's only been two months, Michelle." He reminded her soothingly. "This stuff takes time, right?"

She nodded listlessly.

"Honey, it's not your fault."

"I know…" the tone of her voice suggested otherwise.

She gulped. "I know I just…" he felt her fingers tighten briefly in his hair. "I guess I'm just worried we waited too long…"

"Hey…" he tugged her down against his leg and eased her face towards him. "Listen to me…we'll make this happen alright? It might not be the way we thought but it'll happen…okay?"

"We're not using that money, Tony." She warned quietly. "It's not our money…I don't care what Alex said. Using that money would mean we're…"

"We're not giving up on her. And we can cross that bridge when we come to it, alright? Once we figure out what's going on with the company we'll have money to…"

She pressed her face into his chest to silence him. Tony sighed and kissed her hair. He knew she felt like it was her failure even if it was completely unjustified.

"But like I said…we're not there yet…" he caressed her cheek gently.

She lifted her head, wet eyes meeting his, and pressed her mouth to his softly.

"I love you, Tony." She breathed against his lips, her fingers caressing his arm.

"No matter what happens with this…even if it ends up just being you and me…"

"Stop." He lambasted firmly. She shook her head.

"I just mean…worst case scenario it keeps being just us and…and I'm really okay with that. You're all I need."

His eyes stung at the sincerity of her words and he kissed her back, pushing his tongue against her lips insistently until they parted. He groaned a little and she did too.

"Me too, sweetheart."

* * *

The couple in front of them made her want to vomit a little bit in her mouth; they were obnoxiously cute. They held hands as they strolled, fingers laced through each other's, and stole kisses at street corners. She would laugh delightfully and he would smile down at her, nuzzling his mouth against her cheek and pulling her close for warmth in the crisp October air.

It never occurred to Alex how excited she'd been at the prospect of being in an actual relationship with _him_. During the car ride back to CTU that late night/early morning two months ago she couldn't have described how happy she'd been to cuddle up against him in the backseat; Tony could look around and see them share a quick kiss or see his hand brush her hair off her neck and it was okay – expected even. She'd never been one for public displays (despised them a little, actually), but those few moments they got were bliss. She'd never shared a kiss with him anywhere they might get seen or left work with his arm curled around her. Alex had taken what she could get and was glad for it and convinced herself it was enough, but she'd wanted him. She'd wanted all of him and it was losing him that finally made her realize it.

"So this thing with Almeida…?"

"I thought we were done with this." She retorted coolly; it wasn't a question.

Chase licked his lips. "I think you're still holding out on me."

"You're so intuitive." She said, voice rife with sarcasm. Chase knew better than to be offended. Instead his hand closed around her elbow and he held her back.

Alex saw it in his eyes that he wasn't letting go until she either spilled her guts or made him…and she really didn't feel right beating up someone with only one good hand.

She shuddered internally when his serious eyes angled down towards hers. He stepped so unabashedly into her personal space and it always made her uneasy.

"He…" she shrugged, backing away to give herself some air. "The day everything happened he said…he loved me or something."

"Or something?"

Alex glared at him.

"He said he loved me." She stated crisply.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

"Ouch…"

"Shut up. I just slept with Christensen and I was freaking out…it wasn't the best timing."

Actually, the timing had been perfect. The circumstances had been anything but perfect, but the words had been the absolute only thing she'd wanted to hear in that moment. She just hadn't registered that until it was too late.

"Whatever." Chase brushed her off. "So you _never _told him?"

She ripped herself from his grasp and started walking again.

"Al…c'mon…you know you'll feel better if you talk to me…"

"There's nothing else to talk about…" she grumbled, quickening her pace.

Chase caught up easily and spun her to face him, staring her down. He was really the only person she'd had to talk to these last few months. Jack was around but he didn't talk much and Alex wasn't willing to open up to someone who wasn't going to open up to her. Besides, everything with Jack had been a little strained since he'd walked in on them early that morning almost a month ago. She hoped things might ease up a bit once they got away from Chase.

"After…I had gone down to Medical earlier that day and I…I took a pregnancy test. Michelle thought I should." She explained quietly.

"And you…you were?" she could tell he hadn't been expecting that.

"I found out after I signed the confession."

"So…what'd you do?"

The glare was back.

"I don't think I look very pregnant right now, but maybe that's just me." She snapped bitterly. Chase looked at her apologetically and ran his fingers across her back.

"I'm sorry."

She wiped her cheeks gruffly.

"I made a choice. It…it was the right one. I don't regret it."

Chase made a face that said he didn't entirely agree.

"It wasn't a choice you should've had to make - "

"Well I did." she snapped. "Telling me it wasn't fair doesn't make me feel better."

"Okay, okay, sorry." His palm circled her shoulders gently and they started to walk again.

"You miss him?"

She snorted to mask the pain in her voice and grumbled under her breath as she started to pull away again:

"Only when I have to breathe."

* * *

It was early November when Tony received a phone call he hadn't exactly been expecting, but had kind of been hoping for. Jack had confirmed, they were to have a progress report for Warrington by the fifteenth and were moving in upon receiving that. He'd be calling every few weeks to update Tony on the circumstances and, Tony suspected, to assure him everyone was fine.

Tony had believed him, but it didn't make him feel any better. She shouldn't be getting ready to move into Cheng's military encampment on the border with Siberia, she should be home. She should be gearing up to go to Boston where Rachel and Lisa resided for Thanksgiving and getting ready to do the whole "Hi, I'm Rick's girlfriend" thing. She should've been having weekly dinner-double-date things with him and Michelle, a notion he'd always kind of scoffed at but probably would've enjoyed in this case, not gearing up the possibility that she might get herself killed. _This_ shouldn't be happening.

So to say he was relieved to hear her voice on the other end of the line when he picked up his encrypted cell was an understatement; he'd been hoping for it every time that phone rang.

"Miss me?" she said easily as soon as he answered roughly.

He exhaled softly and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Hey Al."

"Hey…" the sarcasm disappeared and she sighed. "How's it going?"

"Fine…how are - ?"

"How's Michelle?"

"Fine…good. We're compiling a bunch of contacts we had from before but we're not sure where we want to work out of right now…we're kinda hoping some things might change soon…"

"You should leave LA."

"Yeah. I know." Tony clawed at the side of his cheek. "But how are - "

"How's everyone else?" she avoided saying his name.

"How are _you_?" Tony cut her off. "Everyone else is fine. It's you I'm worried about."

Her tone changed and she shrugged.

"I'm alright. I kinda like London…too much rain though. I never would've figured I'd miss that about L.A."

"Chase's been okay?"

She flushed a little at the question, grateful he couldn't see her. She knew what he meant – he was referring to the tension between Chase and Jack – but she also didn't think he'd banked on what had happened between _her _and Chase. It was nothing. In the end they were just becoming friends with the smallest amounts of underlying sexual tension. And even if it _had_ happened, it had only happened once.

"Yeah. Chase's been great actually."

"He and Jack…?"

"Haven't killed each other." Alex assured him with a laugh. "Jack hasn't been around much actually. He's taking care of some stuff or something…I dunno where he goes."

Tony snorted. "Yeah…Jack'll do that…"

"We're flying out tonight. The mission's a go. We're meeting up with some marines in Tokyo." She bit her lip. "I…I just wanted…I just wanted to talk to someone before I left."

"I'm glad you did." Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "Be careful, alright? I'd kinda like to get you home in one piece…"

"Tony…"

"Trust me, okay? I've got your back on this one…"

"And the last thing you need is to get in trouble with Warrington or Hammond." Alex insisted firmly. "Honestly Tony, I'm fine. Don't stir shit up just for - "

"I'm not leaving you out there." He declared firmly. "We'll figure this out. I promise. Just hang in there for me…don't let Jack get you killed first."

Alex laughed, her chest tight and her eyes prickling.

"I'll try." She breathed. "Say hi to Michelle for me…and Bill."

"Yeah, okay." Tony rubbed his cheek awkwardly. He noticed she'd evaded even mentioning his brother's name. Not that he blamed her.

"I uh…I better go."

"Alright, take care of yourself, y'hear me?"

"Yeah." She smiled on her end. "You too."

The phone clicked and Tony hung his head in defeat. No matter what she said, he wasn't leaving her out there to get her head blown off because Warrington was on a power trip and Jack wanted revenge. Wearily, Tony picked up the phone again and started dialing. Maybe Karen would have something on Warrington by now.

* * *

Alex ripped off her torn ski mask and stared at the man in front of her. He was bleeding at the nose and had dried blood below his lip. He looked as sweaty and tired as she felt and his eyes clouded with worry as her gloved hand lifted her 9mm, pointing it directly at his chest.

"On your knees." The voice didn't even sound like her. It sounded cold and calculated without a trace of emotion in it. She'd killed before, many times, but never like this. Never with an unarmed man in front of her.

Behind her Jack entered the room with two of the marines. All panting heavily. This building was thought to contain the blueprints for Cheng's hideout – including the underground rooms that were a refurbished military base from World War II. The man in front of her was an engineer who'd both designed the computer infrastructure and held the access codes to the base.

Well. He _had_ held the access codes to the base. A few seconds of coercion from Jack had persuaded him to give up the information. Jack was effective, no question there, but he was so different from what she was used to. Rick had always done what was necessary but with Jack…she found herself sometimes questioning his motives. Sometimes he got this look in his eyes that suggested he might not be as objective as he seemed to have everyone else convinced he was.

But dare to even suggest to Jack that you thought he might not be being entirely objective and he'd have your back against the wall faster than you could say when. She learned that the hard way.

"Floor's empty." Jack declared. "The encryption keys he gave for the computer system are a match for the infrastructure according to Thomson, but we won't know if the access codes are any good until we get there."

Alex nodded that she'd heard him and used one hand to adjust the collar of her black, ribbed turtleneck. Her eyes moved to the engineer's and she quickly realized her blunder. Jack had told he at least three times not to look them in the eye. If it had to be done it had to be done and seeing something you didn't need to see only made it harder.

The engineer cowered before her now as Jack ordered the marines back to the vehicle. The less people who saw this the better.

"Alex…" Jack's hoarse voice was close to her ear. She hadn't realized he'd stepped up behind her. Alex bit her lip.

"We have to?" she choked out, feeling like she might be violently ill now. She honestly hoped she never got used to this.

"He can identify me and we can't afford to drag along the extra weight." Jack spoke quietly but the man started pleading with protest in a language she couldn't understand. Begging for his life. Alex squeezed her eyes shut. She hated when they begged.

"What if the codes are wrong?" he suggested.

"That's a chance we'll have to take."

Alex's teeth dug into her lower lip and she gulped hard.

"If you can't do it tell me now." Jack's voice lost any of its softness and indignation rose within her.

"I'm fine," she hissed back. Jack didn't seem convinced. She adjusted her turtleneck again and took a step towards the man.

Tears streamed down his cheeks and his pleadings came like rapid fire now. He was starting to panic. It was more humane to do it quickly instead of letting him agonize over the inevitable.

She heard Jack's own weapon cock behind her and tensed. Jack Bauer wasn't doing her dirty work for her so he could second guess her every moment from thereon in.

Without another thought she pulled the trigger and the man's body slumped dead to the floor.

* * *

Rick had called a few minutes before to say he needed to talk to them. Michelle had answered the phone and thought he'd sounded off. Her mind immediately went to Alex, wondering if the beans had somehow been spilled.

Which was why she was surprised to see Rick not looking furious or devastated when she pulled back the door, but distraught. Something was obviously bothering him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, touching his arm gently. He nodded gruffly, looking tired too. He looked like Tony always had when he came home from long days at the office with a haggard expression on his face. Something had usually gone wrong.

"Where's Tony?"

"Tony's here…" Tony answered for himself as he entered the room, eyes focused intently on his brother. "What's goin' on?"

Rick shrugged his suit jacket off his shoulders and kicked his shoes to the side. Michelle might've laughed at that had the mood been a little more appropriate. Number one on Rick's list of complaints of what being a CTU Director entailed wasn't dealing with Division and District and the horrendous amount of paperwork, it was spending more time in suits than he did in jeans.

Rick's hand pressed into her back, urging them both into the den. Michelle obliged and Tony followed, sinking down on the couch beside his wife as Rick paced aimlessly across the floor.

"A transport vehicle was ambushed today and the prisoner escaped." He didn't mince words and Michelle's eyes widened slightly. Tony's jaw set into a scowl.

"Who was the prisoner?"

Rick winced, running both hands through his hair and keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Mandy."

Tony felt Michelle's muscles reflexively beside him.

"What?" after a minute she finally found her voice. "Where was the transport?"

"From Federal." Rick winced apologetically. "We've had people on it all afternoon. No one has any idea where she went. If she was smart she'd have hopped a plane out of the country by now."

"But there's a chance…" Michelle squinted her eyes shut tightly.

"There's always a chance, Michelle." Rick sighed apologetically.

"Do you think…she's that vindictive?" Michelle probed, a hint of anxiety in her words.

"No." Tony answered immediately, leaning back on the couch now with a scowl of frustration on his face. He folded his arms.

"I don't think she'd compromise her freedom to try and find us…but uh…" he rubbed his cheek. "I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley either."

Rick nodded his agreement as Tony's brow creased further.

"How did they know she was being transported?"

Rick flinched. He'd been thinking along the same lines, but had only confessed that to Bill. Someone was dirty, they just didn't know who.

"She had some serious reinforcements and they knew exactly where she would be at that exact moment in time…"

"So you think it was someone inside DOD?"

Rick bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah…and only level six clearance and above had access to transfer documents. Trying to find anything out will send up about a hundred red flags to whoever it was. Bill's trying to get the FBI involved and still keep it under the radar."

Michelle swore softly under her breath and Tony squeezed her knee.

"Anyway, I just wanted to give you the head's up guys. They're plastering her picture at every major agency. If she's still in the country we'll get her before she tries anything."

Tony bit his lip and inclined his head slightly. If her escape was being assisted from the inside they wouldn't get their hands on her until they found the mole. The question was _why_ was her escape being assisted from the inside.

"Yeah thanks…" Tony rose, pushing the thoughts out of his head. There wasn't anything he could do now but be even more vigilant than usual and hope the woman had enough common sense to skip out of the country. He clasped his brother on the shoulder.

"You look like crap…stay for dinner, alright?"

Rick looked like he was about to argue but Tony's expression softened slightly and he lowered his voice.

"Seriously…you're running on empty. When was the last time you ate anything decent somewhere besides your desk?"

Rick's jaw shifted and he nodded.

"Yeah…alright, thanks."

When Tony had disappeared to do something in the kitchen Rick slid onto the couch beside Michelle.

"You okay?" he touched her back and she snapped out of the daze she'd been in. Her eyes focused on the wall in front of her and she pursed her lips together.

"Yeah…" she swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

This time the ski mask was ripped from her face by someone other than herself. Blond hair whirled out of control in the bitter wind and she spared a quick glance at the rest of her team. Two members were already dead – Forbes and Davis from the looks of those who remained – and the other three were in the same position as her, on their knees staring into the face of their ambushers.

Two men. She'd lost two men.

Alex finally turned to her captor whose eyes searched her lecherously. She recognized him as one of Cheng's right hand men. He was a former serviceman in the Chinese military if she remembered the file correctly. All sorts of _tactical_ matters were left up to him. Fong. That was his name.

How the hell had this happened? One minute they were slipping into the building with the access codes the engineer had provided and the next they were fighting off machine gun fire and being dragged into the courtyard between two of the buildings and forced to their knees.

Jack's team was supposed to be entering from the North side of the encampment and hacking into the computers. She hoped Recon had gotten word back to him that they'd been captured so he could get everyone else out of there. Right now her entire team was as good as dead anyway.

"So which one of you is Evans?" Fong snarled at the four of them in clear English with a slight accent. No one said anything, their eyes on the ground. Beside her Cronin was starting to quiver a little. He was the youngest by eighteen months and had never done on SOF operation before. Top of his class at Quantico, already having seen action in both the Middle East and Africa and now he looked like he was fighting the urge to whimper in protest. Poor kid.

Poor kid who was six months older than her.

"You see one of my colleagues tells me that if we wish to inquire about what you people are doing on _my_ territory we should inquire with Agent Bauer or Agent Evans…and since Bauer ran away like a little girl as soon as the rest of you were captured it makes me think that Agent Evans was probably leading the other half of you."

Fong gave them all a once over, obviously hoping for a tell.

"Perhaps we should just start firing at everyone and see if Evans is willing to step up? A true leader wouldn't let his team get executed because he was to chicken to man up…"

Alex tensed internally when a machine gun was raised level with Cronin's temple. It was obvious he wasn't in charge from the way he cringed for everyone to see and the cold sweat that had accumulated on his brow.

"Breathe…" Alex hissed through her teeth. "It's going to be alright…just breathe…"

Fong stepped forward, revealing a pistol and using it to tilt her chin upwards. She glared at him; her face was starting to go numb and she wondered how long they had until frostbite became a concern.

"And what do we have here?" he drawled casually. Alex's muscles tightened.

"Such a beautiful woman…" his pistol moved down her cheek. "I would hate to have to do anything to that pretty face of yours…"

Her jaw clenched but she said nothing.

"What do you say, my dear? Want to tell us where Bauer is?"

"Go to hell." She growled.

"How about Evans?"

She gritted her teeth and Fong sighed impatiently. Fong's head snapped in the direction of the man holding the gun to Cronin's head.

"Kill him."

"No!"

Fong turned back to Alex looking smug.

"You have something to tell us?"

"I'm Evans." Her voice was quiet, but firm. Fong gave her a once over

"Somehow I don't believe you."

"Well then kill me and you can explain to Cheng how you lost your only source of information because you're a chauvinistic pig!"

Fong stared her down for a few seconds.

"You're either very brave or very stupid."

"I am Evans." She insisted. "The engineer in the building gave me a faulty access code to trigger the alarm: alpha-five-gamma-thirty-eight-delta-fifty-four…" she trailed off, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Need me to keep going?"

Fong now watched her with curiosity.

"The access codes weren't faulty, Ms. Evans, you just didn't do your homework. The code has to be inputted at exactly the same time on both entrances to the building or it trips an alarm."

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. How had none of them thought there might be some other technicalities to inputting the codes? Cheng was psychotically careful; he wouldn't have made it that easy.

"None of these guys know anything." She insisted. "Bauer and I made sure of that. You don't need to kill them."

"And you don't know where Bauer is?"

"No."

He gave her a once over again. This would make things interesting.

"We'll see about that." He inclined his head towards a few of his men. "Take her to the Holding cell. I have to call Cheng. Kill the others."

"No!" Alex thrashed against the two sets of arms that had grabbed her. She kicked one man hard in the stomach and he let go so she could spin around and face Fong again.

"You can't! They don't know anything! You don't have to - " machine gun fire cut her as she was still struggling to break loose.

"You son of a bitch!" she snarled at Fong. "You goddamn - "

"Get her out of here." Fong ordered calmly. He watched with amusement as Agent Evans was dragged towards the East building.

Cheng would be pleased. This was definitely going to make things interesting.


	2. This Brilliant Dance

Bruised 

**A/N: **_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the Prologue! Here's Chapter 1. It takes place approximately six months from the end of the prologue. _

Chapter One – This Brilliant Dance

_And the picture frames are facing down_

_And the ringing from this empty sound_

_Is deafening and keeping you from sleep._

_And breathing is a foreign task_

_And thinking's just too much to ask_

_And you're measuring your minutes by a clock that's blinking eights._

_**- This Brilliant Dance by Dashboard Confessional **_

_She was nervous. She was so very, very nervous. A few good – very good, painstakingly good – kisses in the middle of the workday were a lot different than purposefully going over to his place at ten at night after said kisses. Tony had told her to take off just before nine, saying his meeting ended early and there was no reason for her to be stuck at CTU. _

_So she'd hurried home quickly, telling herself as she hopped in the shower that she needed one anyway. Her legs and bikini zone __needed__ to be shaved and it was simply coincidence that both her underwear and her bra __happened__ to be black. She owned a lot of black…so sue her. _

_Besides, she knew exactly what was going to happen. He would tell her testosterone and adrenaline got the best of him and picturing her with Luke confused him and it was just one of those things… All of this would go down in history as the best kiss of her short, pathetic, horrifically boring and unsatisfying love-life. She'd call Luke again the next morning and re-schedule their date and go back to predictability and stability and appropriateness…and Rick would contend with the fact that he'd always known he was probably going to have to share her eventually. _

_And then she was sitting on his couching, nursing a bottle of beer but not really tasting it. He'd flipped on the TV and found some football game neither of them paid attention to. She would later be almost certain it had been a Bears' game. He only watched football if it was a Bears' game. _

_They pretended to be engrossed for a few minutes, uncomfortably aware of the person sitting a cushion away. This was the problem. It was never like this. Normally she'd have her feet in his lap or smack his leg teasingly when he said something to rib her while he pinched her cheek. They wouldn't be afraid of touching. _

_"So are we talking?" he began after several minutes of tension. She turned to face him. _

_She bit her lip. "I'm listening." _

_"I'm not…" he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry about today." _

_She didn't say a word but somehow he noticed the change in her immediately. _

_"I didn't want to freak you out." _

_Alex relaxed a little, turning her body towards his. Her blue eyes were shining beneath the orange-glow of the lamp. She hadn't done a thing with her hair and the only makeup she wore was a light coating of mascara on her blond eyelashes; her clothes were only faded jeans and a black t-shirt but she was beautiful. Yes, he'd been with a lot of gorgeous women in his lifetime, but he wondered how many of them would be able to make his stomach churn and his heart clench without eyeliner and lipstick and a low-cut shirt. _

_Few. None actually. _

_And the best part was that besides the fact that she elicited all these physical responses from him, she was probably being his favorite person in the entire world. He liked hearing her stories, or making her laugh at his own; he liked that he didn't have to censor himself or that they could stay up all night talking. She was funny and articulate and engaging and…kind of adorable. _

_And she was fidgeting. She was fiddling with the label on her beer bottle and kept moving her eyes to the floor. _

_"Anyway uh…thing is…" he bit his lip. "I mean about before…" _

_Her pink lips pursed together ever-so slightly, drawing attention to her mouth. His pulse increased. _

_"About before…" she urged, watching him carefully. He looked weird. He was looking at her weird too, his dark eyes cloudy. Never had the warmth radiating from him been as apparent as it was now and never had the smell of his aftershave engulfed her so distinctively. She shuddered, trying to find her words as indignation welled within her. _

_"Look, I don't know what the hell that was but you can't just do that to someone! You can't do that to someone and not think about what it's going to do to them. Okay?" _

_The look he gave her was that of a dog with its tail between its legs. _

"_I uh…" he bit his lip, trying to remember what he was supposed to be saying. He couldn't recall the last time he'd fumbled over words like this for anyone, especially not a girl. _

"_I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm sorry."_

"_It's fine, I get it," she brushed him off. "It was just one of those things. It happens." _

"_Yeah…" his clawed at his far cheek. "Right…" _

"_It just won't happen again," her lips puckered and she wondered why she felt horribly disappointed as the words came out of her mouth. She said what she came to say. _

"_Right?" _

_Somehow, Rick heard how that lone word betrayed her intentions, because he lifted his eyes to hers. He hesitated only a second before his hand slid into her hair and he dragged her lips to his with a gruff, hastened "screw it – c'mere," an instant before she felt his mouth crash into hers. _

_She gasped and her lips parted enough for him to slip his tongue between them. Her body fell instinctively towards him and his hands moved to her face, thumbs brushing across her jaw and one sliding into her hair. _

_The kiss broke and she was panting heavily, her hands clutching the collar of his shirt in a vice grip._

"_So…" her chest was pounding and her stomach couldn't stay still long enough for her brain to form a coherent thought. "So…we're…" _

_He laughed a little and kissed her lightly. Her throat tightened when he brushed the hair off her neck and pecked softly just behind her ear. Her eyes closed and swayed against him. _

_"You okay?" _

_"Uh huh!" she responded a little to eagerly. He laughed a second time and she blushed. _

_"You're shivering…" he commented, feeling the goose bumps running along her bare arms. _

_"Sorry…" she gasped. "I'm…this is…" _

_He cocked an eyebrow and she blushed even redder. _

_"This isn't talking." She declared flatly, not wanting to be one of those women who lost herself in a stupid kiss – no matter how good it was. He didn't just get to kiss her and expect her to…_

_"We can stop." He assured her, but it probably would've been more convincing if he wasn't still touching her. "I don't want you to - "_

_She cut him off with an impulsive kiss, pulling away abruptly and looking more than a little surprised with herself. He grinned and his lips met hers again, with less urgency this time. The kiss was slow and thorough and his face scratched her palms as he moved deeper against her mouth. A soft whimper escaped her lips and she felt him ease her backwards against the couch, his mouth dropping to her neck… _

_Suddenly talking didn't seem so important._

* * *

Karen Hayes was weary with exhaustion as she climbed the stairs to the front porch of her house. It was just after 7pm and her flight from DC had only landed a little while before. She'd only been gone a week this time, but a week too long in her opinion. The file folder that had been placed on her desk the second morning of her stay was one she had not been expecting and contained information she had hoped never to see. Jack Bauer had found his way to the US Embassy in Japan reporting that his entire team had been ambushed and killed – save for one. Jack refused every offer they made to return him to the States. Under no circumstances was he leaving without Alex, he declared to the CIA official he spoke with – a man he had apparently trained with in Special Forces years before – to whom he insisted they contact Karen about the situation. He told Karen he needed access to Wayne Palmer. Palmer needed to know about the operation so Palmer could get Alex out and take action against the reason she was there in the first place. Karen told him she would do what she could. Palmer would want proof before he made a move. Getting something concrete against Warrington was proving very difficult and she'd been trying from the moment Alex disappeared to no avail. As far as Karen was concerned though, getting her out of there was the priority. They could worry about her potential prison sentence later.

The Chinese, despite her every attempt with numerous different people denied knowing of Alex's existence. When Karen finally found a way to contact Jack personally he confessed to having tried twice to pull her out on his own. Both times he'd come dangerously close to being captured himself and that couldn't happen; if Cheng had them both he'd kill Alex without a second thought.

Claire and Bill were at the kitchen table when she stepped in the house. Claire hollered a greeting and Bill met her at the door. Claire had been spending more than a few nights at their house the last few months. They didn't ask her why and she didn't tell them, but Karen knew it was the same reason she'd run to Rick Almeida three weeks after her sister's disappearance begging for an analyst position at CTU; she wanted to be there in case there was any word on her sister. Bill hadn't been happy to say the least.

"Hi honey," Bill kissed Karen firmly, giving her a few seconds of relaxation. The other shoe was about to drop.

"How was your flight?"

She managed a smile, brushing a wisp of hair from her forehead.

"Fine. Uneventful." Her abrupt response caused Bill to raise an eyebrow and Claire glanced between them curiously.

"Is everything okay?"

Karen hesitated. "Claire, could you give us a minute please?"

The young girl looked a little bewildered. "Um…yeah, of course. Let me just stick these dishes in the - "

"I'll take care of it. How do you feel about a coffee run?"

Claire glanced warily at her uncle who looked equally perplexed. She hesitated before scooping her keys off the hall table and heading for the door, declaring that she'd be back in a bit.

"What's going on?" Bill asked, the softness disappearing from his voice as soon as the front door had slammed shut. Karen sighed.

"Maybe we should sit - "

"What's going on, Karen?" he sounded firm but not angry…yet.

"I…" she wiped her damp palms against the pants of her business suit. Explaining these matters to her husband was different than explaining it to anyone else, as it well should be. She hated that she'd been lying to him for a week, but she'd hoped in the end she'd have good news to make it worth it. No such luck.

The words came out clearly but her whole body shook as she explained the report she'd received to him. Bill went white.

"The Chinese have Alex?"

Karen nodded gently. "I'm sorry."

"Why won't they hold a prisoner exchange? We must have someone of value from their side in possession."

"We do…I don't know why they won't trade for her. They're denying even having her in the first place. My only guess is that they want more time to…" she trailed off. It was his _niece_. Finishing that sentence would only devastate him, even if he knew how the sentence was supposed to be finished.

"When did you get the report?"

Here it was. "Tuesday afternoon."

"My god, Karen! You've been lying about knowing this since then?"

"I was hoping we'd have a prisoner exchange in the works before I got home and - "

"I still had a right to know!" his voice was louder now. "And there is no exchange! The Chinese want to torture her! What are they going to do about it?"

"They?"

"The President…DOD…She's not Jack Bauer, Karen! How long do you expect them to torture her before she - "

She'd die before she said a word. He knew that much.

"Why won't DOD authorize extracting her?" he was panting heavily now.

"Authorizing her extraction would be acknowledging her confession to a capital offense and it's unlikely anyone would support risking the lives of Americans to rescue a murderer. I explained the situation to Wayne but…he wants proof before he implicates a Senior Senator. It's a huge accusation - "

"She's going to die out there, Karen!" he pounded a fist for emphasis against the kitchen table. "We have to do something!"

"I swear to you, I've been doing everything I can. Warrington's covered his tracks well…we just have to be patient…"

"By the time we find evidence against him Alex will be dead."

"Alex knew what she was getting into when she agreed to this, Bill. She knew this might happen and you know these things take time. I'm doing everything I can for her. My office just had to inform five families their sons were dead, all under the age of 30. This is hard on everyone."

He took a deep breath, still enraged.

"I'm your husband…"

"Then you need to believe me when I tell you I'm doing everything I can to save her. I have people in Washington working on it round the clock…"

He took a step back from her.

"I'm going for a drive."

"Bill - "

"I just need some air."

* * *

It was Tony who answered the door in a t-shirt and boxers, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and trying to pat down his messy hair.

"Hey Bill…" his voice betrayed his surprise. "What's up?"

Tony stepped back from the door to allow him inside. He'd been driving around for hours. He'd ended up on the PCH and was halfway to San Francisco before coming to a conclusion. Bill ran his fingers through his hair, a fine mist from the light rain that had started coating it. His brow creased as he stepped into their hallway and followed Tony into the living room. Michelle descended down the stairs a few seconds later in a tank top and pajama bottoms, her dark eyes rife with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down beside him on the couch. Her hand covered his warmly. The flush had drained from her cheeks and she looked nervous now as she leaned towards him and searched his expression carefully.

"What's goin' on?"

Bill sighed heavily and Michelle offered his hand a gentle pat as Tony slumped in the chair across from them.

He told them what Karen had told him, Michelle's hand remaining on his arm as the words tumbled from his lips. Alex captured. Alex tortured. Alex possibly dead. Sure, he'd imagined these types of "worst case scenarios" as soon as she went to Langley but now that it was happening…

Midway through the update he felt Michelle's grip tighten on him and the expression on Tony's face shifted from confused to nauseous to enraged as the tale went on.

"Bill…I appreciate what Karen's trying to do, but political channels aren't going to work with these guys. If we want her out now we're going to have to get more aggressive and if the President won't authorize the military…"

"I agree. I've already put a call into the Embassy to try and get in contact with Jack. He knows where they're holding her…

Michelle's eyes bulged slightly. "You want to extract her yourself?"

"Jack's tried twice but the compound's too big and they have too many men. He needs a few extra sets of hands."

"Then I'm coming with you." Tony blurted out. "We don't need military. Jack knows the terrain and…"

Tony hesitated. Jack, Bill and himself wouldn't be enough when they didn't know what they were up against. He and Bill were out of practice – Bill more so than him – and this wasn't shooting a few short-range weapons at some hostiles in the middle of LA. A military encampment in Northern China was a different, much more dangerous story.

"I'm coming too." Michelle said quietly, but firmly. She had risen from her position on the couch and was now standing with her arms folded across her chest.

"No you're not." Tony didn't even hesitate. "You don't have military training."

"I can shoot a gun, Tony - "

"You're not coming." He voice left no room for argument. Michelle met Bill's eyes and he knew the conversation would continue when he left. If Michelle wanted to come Michelle was coming.

"I should get home and…" he swallowed hard. "And pack; gather some supplies…I'll have to talk to Claire and explain things to her."

"Will she be okay?" Michelle asked gently.

"Once we get Alex back she will be." He and Tony stood simultaneously. "I'll let you know when I find out any flight information - "

"Or when you hear from Jack…"

"Of course." The three of them moved into the hallway.

"Bill, you and I both know the three of us isn't gonna be enough if they've got her under the kinda protection I'd expect them to…I mean having Jack is one thing but…"

"You're right." Bill hesitated. "Karen said Jack mentioned getting some outside help. I have no idea who…but I assume if Jack trusts them we should too."

Chase. It had to be Chase.

Tony nodded and then bit his lip, his hand cupping the back of his neck as he fidgeted awkwardly.

"What about…?" Tony hesitated, wary of saying his name. The longer Alex had been gone the more standoffish Bill had been towards Rick. Tony knew why, even if it wasn't fair. Rick was, at least on some level, the reason she was in this in the first place. Tony had signed the confession but Rick was the reason she felt compelled to do what she did. Tony still expected to get more blame though.

"I mean, he's the one who led the team that pulled Jack out before." Tony continued logically. "We could use the help."

"You think he'll come?" Bill was bitter. That was obvious.

Tony glanced at Michelle before nodding.

"Yeah, I do."

"Then call him…if you want. He's got more experience than all of us in this. If you think it's worth the effort - "

"He'll come." Michelle's voice resonated clearly through the hall.

Bill nodded curtly. "Then call him. I'll let you know as soon as I have anything." The two men clasped hands briefly and Bill was gone.

As soon as Bill was gone Tony turned to Michelle.

"If we tell him what happened to Alex - "

"He'll be on the first plane out." Tony sighed heavily and clawed at the side of his face. Rick's unwavering loyalty to her would far surpass any sort of animosity he felt for how she left, even if he had been walking around as a zombie for the last ten months. Tony suspected it was the unspoken reason why he and Michelle hadn't got around to leaving LA yet. A baby might have changed things, but at this point neither of them were comfortable with the idea of leaving Rick with nobody in the state he was in.

Tony could relate far too well to the lost look he'd seen in his brother's eyes everyday since she left. He buried himself in work, going through the motions of his life while continuing to look like a piece of himself was missing. Even if they had only been really together for a couple of months, they'd been friends for years. He didn't know how to function without her.

Tony could definitely relate to that.

"I'll call him now." Tony started to walk towards the kitchen and Michelle grabbed his arm.

"I want to come, Tony."

"You're not coming, alright? It's dangerous."

"It's just as dangerous for you as it is for me."

"You don't have military training, Michelle. It's not the same as being able to shoot a gun, and if I'm going I'd rather know you were safe…"

"And if you're going I'd rather be there with you!" her cheeks were red with frustration now. "I mean I could run Recon or back up or…" she looked at him anxiously. "God Tony, for once…let's just do something like this together. Yes, it's dangerous and yes we could get hurt or killed even but at least I won't be sitting here wondering what happened to you and if I could've done something to help - "

The emotion welled in her voice and the tears formed in her eyes. She blinked them back hard.

"I'm coming."

He sighed heavily, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"Honey, if anything were to happen - "

"Then it happens." She cut him off gently, her hand cupping his face.

He hesitated and then nodded, tightening their embrace.

"Okay." He sounded a little choked up.

A few minutes later Tony was on the phone.

"Hey…it's me…" he bit his lip. "Listen…we uh…I have news…"

* * *

"Your silence grows tiresome, Ms. Evans.." Cheng's voice resonated icily through the room. He _tsk_ed disapprovingly. "You seem to be taking a leaf out of Mr. Bauer's book…but let me assure you, you are doing yourself no favors. All you are doing is causing pain."

Alex groaned, her straggly blonde hair covering her as a third needle was injected into the back of her neck. The doctor beside her, who spoke no English, made a gesture with his hand and the needle was removed. Every nerve ending on her body was on fire, she was pouring sweat from every inch of her skin, her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt her lungs compressing. She had no idea what was in the needle but her vision was blurring. The only constant for the last six months was Cheng mocking her through each and every interrogation session. Hell, she only knew it had been six months because he reminded her constantly, as if testing the strength of her will in terms of longevity as much as her ability withstand physical pain.

"Your restraint is impressive. Audrey Raines was losing her mind a two weeks in…it's not that hard, Ms. Evans. All we want to know is what kind of intelligence you pulled off the database you accessed with Bauer in addition to the access codes and a layout of our computer infrastructure. Tell us what you told your government and this will all be over."

Alex said nothing, her eyes on the muddy floor.

"We _know _you know, Ms. Evans." Cheng sighed impatiently. "We read your file…we know your history and we know you were working directly with Bauer to bring down our institution so why don't we quit playing games?"

Alex did not lift her head, but spoke this time.

"So you can kill me?" she hissed

Cheng smiled wickedly. "Would death not be easier than what you've been put through?"

Alex's neck snapped and her blue eyes flashed even in the pale moonlight.

"You could skin me alive right now and I still wouldn't breathe a word to you, you sonofabitch."

Cheng's smile faded and he nodded to the interrogator who threw a hard punch that connected with Alex's gut. Something cracked and she spat blood on the floor.

"That can be arranged." He snarled before disappearing out the door.

* * *

Rick Almeida couldn't believe what he was hearing when his brother called him less than two hours before to tell him they needed his help – to tell him Alex needed his help. A brief, somewhat strained conversation with Bill had confirmed that Karen was making arrangements for Nadia to get some assistance over at CTU. Nadia had come back when Michelle and Tony left, right around the same time Chloe went on Maternity leave. Nadia knew what she was doing; they'd be fine without him for a few days.

The phone call he'd placed right before leaving hadn't gone nearly as well. Eva Jacobs had replaced Chloe O'Brian as Head of Comm. For six months Eva had hinted at the possibility of a relationship with him – being none the wiser of his previous workplace romance – before he finally agreed. Tomorrow night was to be there third date and, he suspected, the night things might progress. Physically. Even though the idea made him uncomfortable he'd decided it was probably a good thing. He hadn't had sex in over nine months – a definite record for him – and it was probably better just to get it over with. Even if he didn't admit it to anyone else, she'd definitely left him in shattered pieces when she disappeared.

And now, every feeling of sadness and anger he'd felt towards her over the last ten months vanished for the time being. He didn't care why she'd left or what it had done to him when she did. He just knew that no matter what had happened between them…he had to help her. He had to get her out even if seeing her again would be the final nail in the coffin for him.

A wave of nausea overcame him as he stepped inside the doors of LAX. He'd seen what Cheng had done to Jack and thinking of Alex like that…

He wasn't sure on the exact timeline but he knew they might be too late. She could be dead or worse by the time they got there…

So despite how disappointed a sleepy Eva had sounded on the phone, she didn't stay on his radar for more than a few seconds. His head just wasn't in it.

"There next flight to Tokyo is in three hours." He heard Bill saying as he approached the group. Tony and Michelle were already there. "Jack's waiting for us at the Embassy. Last I heard, his friend was already en route so he should be there by the time we arrive."

Rick wondered who this friend of Jack's was that was willing to stick his neck out for Alex. Granted, if he was a former colleague of Jack he would be good – very good – they could probably use him. Michelle smiled warmly at him as Bill finished up his report. They finally turned to look at him.

"Thank you for coming." Bill stated politely, but formally. Rick looked a little bewildered and averted his brother's gaze.

"Yeah of course." He swallowed hard. "Of course I was coming." No matter what she'd done he'd never leave her out there like this. Not with Cheng and not with anyone.

No one could apparently think of anything to say after that and they were relieved when Michelle suggested they go get their tickets and see if they could find something to occupy them on the plane.

Michelle touched his arm, letting Tony and Bill move in front of them.

"How're you doing?"

Rick shrugged. "I uh…I'm just trying not to think about what…y'know…could happen," his expression was pained and Michelle rose on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"It'll be fine." she assured him. "Just don't forget to breathe."

He smiled a little and nodded, slinging an arm around her shoulders and dragging her to catch up with the others.

* * *

Rick got seated beside Bill on the plane. Tony and Michelle were directly across from them. No one was talking a lot. It was late. Bill sat motionlessly without a word to anyone, so much so that Rick couldn't tell if he was awake or not. Occasionally there would be some quiet mumbling from across the isle. Michelle had taken the window seat and it wasn't long before she'd settled herself against his brother's shoulder with her eyes closed and a blanket draped across her. Tony let out an exhaustive breath after a little while and his fingers combed her hair as he tightened his grip for a brief moment.

"She must've really wanted to come." Rick commented when he was almost certain they were the only two of the group left awake.

Tony shifted his eyes slightly in his direction before nodding briefly.

"Yeah." He grunted. "You know Michelle."

Rick laughed softly. He definitely knew Michelle. If Michelle wanted to do something or felt like she needed to do something she was doing it no matter what Tony or anyone else said.

"I'm sorry I lost it on you when you called earlier - "

"Don't worry about it." Tony brushed it off. "Everyone's stressed out. It's not a big deal."

Rick nodded and glanced at the back of the seat in front of him.

"You seem a little more stressed out than everyone else though…" Tony commented. Rick bit his lip.

"She could be dead." He shook his head softly. "I mean…she just left and now if I see her and she's…" his voice broke. "She can't be dead."

"They won't kill her unless she breaks and you know better than anyone what she's like."

"I thought I did."

Tony sighed. "She'll be fine. Alright? You'll make yourself sick if you keep thinking like this. She'll be fine because she has to be."

Rick nodded, keeping his eyes fixated on the floor. He'd have to take Tony's word for it.

* * *

A bucket of icy cold water was dumped over her almost-naked body and Alex started shivering violently. There was a time when this water was actually something of a luxury, it cooled her burns and soothed her skin before it threatened to cause her to freeze a death. She knew Cheng couldn't let that happen anyway.

But now she could imagine nothing worse than the cold. Her teeth chattered and she convulsed in violent shivers. Now not being able to control her body was the worst thing she could possible imagine. It felt like she might betray herself without meaning to.

Without warning, a hand latched onto her soaking hair, yanking her head off the ground and snarling something in her ear. It could've been English, but she wasn't processing at this point. The hand threw her back to the ground and she got a mouthful of cold mud. Groaning she rolled over and a combat boot collided with her left side. Alex moaned, too tired to do anything else, and curled up in the fetal position as she continued to shiver like mad.

Today was going to be bad. She could feel it.


	3. My Immortal

Bruised 

**A/N: **_Thanks to everyone who reviewed as always. I'm really sorry for the delay in this chapter…school got in the way. Here's chapter two! _

Chapter Two – My Immortal

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave _

'_Cause your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone. _

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_It's just too much that time cannot erase. _

_-__**My Immortal by Evanescence **_

_He knew if this was going to work it had to be an ambush. She'd been evading him for way too long and she wasn't getting away with it anymore. _

_Without warning he snapped back the shower curtain, causing her to spin around to almost slip. _

_"Christ, you scared me…" she breathed as his arms slid around her and his lips pressed against hers, backing her against the tiles and circling her tongue with his. She'd been making excuses about avoiding a shower together for forever and he decided that no reason – no matter what it was – was an excuse not to get naked and soaking wet with him. _

_"Hi…" he spoke with his lips brushing against hers. She grinned, arms around his neck. _

_"Hi…" she softened slightly. "Maybe now isn't the best time…" she began warily as his lips moved across her jaw. He pulled back abruptly and stared. _

_"What's wrong, Al?" he drawled with a hint of impatience. _

_"Nothing…honestly…I've just got stuff to do today. There's not enough time to…" _

_"It's the first day we've had off together in months." He reminded her pointedly, remembering how excited he'd been knowing when he took her home from work and ravished her a few dozen times before bed they had an entire day to themselves to do it again…and again…and again. _

_She hesitated. "It's just uh…" she bit her lip. "I dunno…it's…I dunno…" she slumped her shoulders in defeat. _

_His eyes left hers and glanced down at her body, causing her to stiffen under his hands. _

_"I've seen you naked a hundred times." He reminded her. _

_"I know I just…" She averted his gaze and pushed a chunk of hair behind her ear. "I…bathroom lighting isn't exactly a girl's best friend." She blurted out quickly before she lost her nerve. _

_The statement was so uncharacteristic of her he had to bite back a laugh. Instead he sighed, running his hand along her hip and frowning when she tensed again an instant before his fingertips brushed against raised skin that wasn't as soft as the rest of her. _

_Her eyes were shut tightly as he caressed her side and studied the small scar. His brow creased._

"_Takedown last week?" he asked, recalling the day she dashed after a suspect. He'd caught up just as the guy sliced her with a switchblade. In the end, it'd been nothing, but at the time he'd been ready to snap the guy's neck. Now she nodded in confirmation but she didn't look happy. She looked upset and – dare he say – embarrassed. _

_His hand moved across her abdomen and again he felt the texture of her skin change. This scar he'd noticed the first time he'd kissed his way down her body, but in the light of the bathroom it was longer and more jagged than he'd thought. This one she'd gotten in Russia, falling onto a bed of rocks as they'd stumbled through the woods in a mad dash, trying to hide from the people who'd ambushed then. She hadn't bled much this time, but the scrape had been apparent when she pulled off her shirt at the marine base the next morning. _

_"Don't…" she hissed, but her words were thick. His hand slid across her shoulder and yet again he felt more raised skin. _

_"What's that one from?" _

_"Dad when I was eleven." She answered. His head tilted and his lips brushed across the abrasion before dropping to his knees and doing the same to the mark on her abdomen._

_"Rick…" tears welled in her eyes and she fought to keep them at bay, feeling like an idiot for getting so worked up over a few marks on her skin. She touched the top of his head. "Stop…" _

_He ignored her, smoothing his lips across her hip and moving down the front of her leg. His hands caressed the back of her thigh and looked up expectantly. Her jaw kinked to one side. _

_"Dad when I was thirteen." She snorted. "Threw a plate out of the dishwasher and I was in the way." _

_His throat tightened and anger welled within him. She shivered beneath his fingers as his lips continued to move down her body. _

_When he got her knee he found a small white scar and waited for her to speak. _

_Relief welled through him when she laughed lightly. _

_"Cut myself shaving because you were rushing me…" _

_He laughed too, pressing his face into her stomach and moving his hands up her back. She gasped a little when he reached the bottom of her shoulder blade and his brow creased, standing again and turning her around in his arms. _

_He teeth dug into his lip when he saw the black and blue bruise that was obviously still tender. _

_"Yesterday?" _

_Her head bobbed quickly and she spun around. Yesterday she'd been in the field without him and the suspect's rifled had jammed. She'd moved him to restrain him, but he'd gotten in a few good blows with the butt of the weapon when she did. _

_"There are more." She declared abruptly, not sure if she was talking about the types of scars one could or couldn't see. His chest constricted when he saw the pained expression on her face. She pursed her lips together as his thumb dragged across the inside of her left arm from the time her father showed up at CTU. It was almost invisible but he could still feel it beneath his fingertips every night. _

_"I guess Sheryl probably looked a little less beat up under fluorescent lights." She muttered wryly. A smile formed on his lips and he started to speak. He was cut off when she yelped as icy cold droplets started pelting them. His hand found hers, tugging her away from the wall of the shower and shielding her body with his. _

_"Happens sometimes. It'll come back in a minute." He explained easily, pulling her into him and closing his arms around her. Even under the stream of cold water he felt gloriously warm. She pressed closer instinctively and he grinned into her hair. _

_"So is this a marine-thing?" she bumped her cold nose into his collar. "Being able to stand freezing cold showers and still be warm." He laughed softly, pretending not to notice yet another scar in the small of her back. He wondered how he'd missed all of this before, considering it probably had something to do with the current slickness of her skin as much as the extra light. _

_"Mhmmm…" he tilted his head and kissed her cheek and then her neck. "Something like that."_

_"See now…what would you do without me?" he teased quietly after a minute of silence, rubbing his lips against her wet shoulder and tasting the sweetness of her skin. _

_"Right, because I've never had a shower run out of a hot water before in my life." She retorted sarcastically. He snickered and nipped at her collar._

_"Well I mean…if you __really__ want me to leave…" he breathed against her lips, grinning when she tightened her grip just as the water turned hot again. _

_"You don't have to." Her words turned insistent and the sarcasm returned. "I mean…you've seen most of my ugly side now anyway…" _

_She meant it as a joke, but she shuddered under his gaze as he kissed her, tugging on her lower lip. _

_"Well uh…as far as ugly sides go…I kinda love yours." _

_When the stinging of her eyes surprised her she had to look away. Her throat felt tight and she kissed him for a distraction. Her fingers pressed into his cheek as he moved deeper into her mouth. _

_"Huh…" she mumbled matter-of-factly before nibbling on his upper lip. He groaned and pressed her back against the tiles, hands roaming across her skin with more urgency this time. _

_"I guess that's all that matters then, isn't it?"_

* * *

A blood curdling scream erupted from Alex's throat as she felt the searing coals press into her back. She buried her face into the cold ground, hoping to mute the sound she made when the coals were removed and the interrogator's thick fingers dug into the burns. She was starting to feel dizzy again. For the past month or so she hadn't been able to go ten minutes without getting the shakes. The lack of food and water were really starting to take their toll and her injuries weren't getting time they now needed to heal. She wondered how bad the infections were as the man's greasy fingers dug deeper into her wounds.

She groaned when a combat boot slammed against her, fighting the urge to curl up in the fetal position and beg them to make it stop. She didn't come this far to quit now. If she was wishing for death she would do so silently. They weren't getting her to beg.

Cheng looked bored today. He hadn't even spoken to her yet. She was surprised he still bothered to show up regularly. Surely he had better things to do?

The absence of pain made her glance up from the dirt. She was surrounded by three overly large men as Cheng watched her dirt covered face in disgust. It was freezing and the bare top half of her body was covered in mud. She was immune to the cold now. She was immune to almost everything they did to her…

One of the men moved to mumble something to Cheng. He glanced at her, a snarl forming on his lips, before turning back to the man and nodding as his hand motioned at her.

"String her up when you're finished."

The man's eyes glinted and Alex felt the wave of nausea rise in her stomach, knowing there was nothing to vomit up anyway. The man nodded to his colleagues and removed his jacket before hastily undoing his belt buckle as the other men grabbed her by the arms and flipped her onto her aching back. Cheng looked appalled as he turned around to make a phone call while the last few articles of clothing got ripped from her body. Alex swallowed hard, trying not to tense for what was coming…it only made it hurt more.

_Almost everything._

* * *

"Jack…"

Jack Bauer spun around as the foursome approached them. Tony first, with Michelle in-step beside him. Bill looked a little anxious and Rick's mouth was set in a firm line. The ornately decorated hotel in Tokyo was their meeting place. He'd arrived there almost a day ahead of everyone and had been going over the schematics of the encampment again and again, trying to make sure he had all his bases covered. He had to get her out this time. The longer they waited the greater the odds that she would…

"Hey Tony…" they clasped hands briefly just as a sixth person came into view.

"Hey Chase…" Tony turned to him next, feeling the slackened grip of his right hand.

Jack quickly introduced Bill to Chase. Michelle looked wary and Rick looked confused as everyone exchanged greetings.

"I heard you guys might need a little help on this one." Chase shrugged casually, dropping Rick's hand. His eyes looked worried though. Rick kept glancing at Tony waiting for him to explain why Chase Edmunds had flown half-way around the world to help with a mission that might get him killed. Tony didn't offer him any sort of tell though.

"I have some contacts we can use once we pull her out…they're connected with the British government so we should be able to keep a low profile."

"We'll talk about it inside…" Jack inclined his head towards the door. "We've got all night…"

"It's still early…" Rick protested.

"We can't enter the encampment during the day; we have to go over the blueprints as well as figure out an approach. She's lasted this long, she can last one more night and pushing forward too soon could kill her before what they're doing does..."

Rick tensed and Michelle rubbed his back a few times wordlessly. Not for the first time since he'd stepped into the airport Rick was glad she was there…even if Tony wasn't.

* * *

"There are four buildings." Jack declared as he rolled the blueprints out on the coffee table of his hotel room. Bill was standing over his shoulder, Michelle had settled on the edge of the bed beside Chase and Tony sat on the floor at one end of the table across from Rick.

"Two of the buildings at the North and West corners contain computer infrastructure. One of them has an underground bunker with a high level of security required for entry. A third building in the South are living quarters. Cheng likes his people to keep their contact with the outside world as minimal as possible. They're mostly single men, all ex-military and none of the leave the encampment for weeks at a time…"

Michelle shifted a little on the edge of the bed and Jack spun to face her immediately.

"You sure you're up for this?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'll be fine, Jack."

"This isn't just about being able to shoot a handgun, Michelle. A handgun won't do you any good against these guys and we need every man we can get…"

So Jack thought she was going to be dead weight.

"I'll take her through how to use a semi." Rick declared quietly but firmly, watching Michelle's cheeks flush in indignation. "It'll be enough."

Tony's jaw clenched, but to Rick's surprise he said nothing though. Jack's eyes moved between the both of them before he finally nodded.

"Fine. You two can be the first team for…"

"We're splitting up?" Tony spoke up, eyebrow raised.

"We have too much ground to cover to do this effectively as one big group. It'll be hard to stay under the radar that way."

"Then aren't Michelle and I - "

"The teams have to be balanced." Jack insisted. "Rick goes with Michelle, Tony you go with Chase and I'll go with Bill…"

Chase scowled, obviously resenting being considered one of the "weaker" players. Having only one good hand really got on his nerves sometimes.

"What about the fourth building?" Michelle interrupted quietly.

Jack leaned forward a little and pointed.

"East side. Some old building we believe they used for weapon storage. Last time I moved in they had her in the North building, the next time it was the West…"

He flinched a little and licked his chapped lips.

"Escape really isn't an issue here because Night Patrol covers the entire encampment from sunset to sunrise and they also have a watch tower. Plus, she would freeze to death in about an hour."

Rick shuddered internally, avoiding Bill's gaze.

"Our point of entry will be the storage shed. It's bigger than it sounds…about ten rooms with security units patrolling it sporadically. We move in and if she's not in there each group of us takes a different building. Everyone's on the same Comm. feed and we radio in as soon as we find her."

The unspoken words in that sentence were apparent to everyone in the room. _We radio in as soon as we find her dead or alive. _

"I wanted to ask Chloe for infrared scans but it would draw too much attention from DOD about what we were doing." Tony straightened a little and Rick's brow creased. DOD had no idea what they were doing. They were trying to get Alex back through political channels but it was taking too long.

At least, that's what Tony had told him.

"Chloe's not at CTU anymore anyway." Rick declared. Jack's head snapped back.

"What?"

"She had her baby. She's gone for at least another eight months."

Jack scowled, unable to believe he'd overlooked that. "Damnit. We needed her once we got out."

Rick stole a glance at Bill.

"Claire'll do whatever we need her to do." He declared simply. "Her clearance isn't as high but…"

"Her sister?" Jack frowned. "She's at CTU?"

"She's a level one analyst. She asked me for the job after…" he trailed off and lowered his eyes to the floor for a brief second. "Anyway, we can trust her…even if we can't tell her exactly what we're doing."

"Can she do what we need?"

"There are back channels she can use to get through the clearance limitations." Michelle explained. "I can talk her through it if she doesn't know how to do something. Claire's smart. She'll figure it out."

"And we can trust her?"

Rick inclined his head in the affirmative. He trusted Claire as much as anyone.

"Fine. Make her aware of the situation and have her on standby."

"I'll call her when we're done here."

Bill looked like he wanted to protest, but didn't. They needed someone inside CTU to get them access to things. Michelle would show Claire how to evade detection and when push came to shove, Karen was on their side. She'd smooth things over if Claire got caught.

And Claire would want to help him – no matter what he was doing – Claire was at CTU because she wanted to be there in case there was any chance her sister might reappear, if only for a moment. Claire wouldn't question him.

* * *

Alex's head dropped forward against her naked chest, her whole body covered in goose bumps and her arms feeling like they were about to be ripped from their sockets. Her arms were high over her head, tied at the wrists and hanging from the rafter in the freezing room. There was no heat, the only advantage to being in here was it cut the wind. Before they'd kept her inside one of the main buildings, but after Jack's second rescue attempt they'd moved her. Probably assuming Jack would never think they'd keep her so far away from the center of the encampment.

Alex was trying desperately to ignore the searing pain between her legs. It felt like she was burning from the inside out. Everyday since her arrival had been bad but sometimes they got really aggressive. She tried desperately to block out the images of them taking turns shoving inside her...coming inside her. The bile rose in her throat. It was a game to them, trying to see who would be the one to make her scream out in agony, protest or disgust. She never did though.

Alex felt groggy and lightheaded. She didn't feel hungry anymore. She'd stopped feeling hungry months ago. The days all bled into one now and she couldn't tell when she was supposed to eat. The dull ache was permanent and she learned to ignore it quickly. It was the least of her worries.

Her back hurt from the burns and her skin felt tight, like it was scabbing over. Her black underwear was back on to give her at least some modesty; they were covered in dirt and semen and her own blood, but it was better than nothing. She breathed and deeply a few times and closed her eyes.

Jack had gotten some information back to DOD. Not enough to incriminate but enough to get the ball rolling… So for the last six months Alex had wondered whether or not they would ever finally decide to cut their losses and just disappear off the face of the earth, either killing her or leaving her for dead. Death didn't seem like so much of a tragedy as it had before she'd left LA almost ten months ago; she had nothing waiting for her on the other side. She couldn't go back to her life and starting a new one seemed like such a daunting task. What was she supposed to do if she got out of this thing alive? Move from place to place like Jack did? Go back to London like Chase had suggested?

His parting words elicited the first semblance of a smile she'd displayed in weeks. Jack hadn't been around a lot and they'd spent every night for two and a half months in each other's and only each other's company. They were both lonely and hung up on other people (her mainly) and they'd bonded…

He told her to come back to London when it was over; he wanted her in London with him. He didn't know any better than to say exactly what he was thinking and he didn't know there was a very good chance she would completely freak out on him. Chase didn't know her like Rick did so he didn't know how difficult she could make something that probably could have been a pretty perfect solution. Chase didn't get it and in a way that was kind of liberating; he didn't know about her life and he didn't know about all her crap and her walls and her inherent need to push people away so he didn't know she was holding out on him. There was a host of things unknown between them that she could still hide behind and somehow that felt freeing now.

Rick she couldn't hide anything from. She was always _exposed_ around him because he knew her better than anybody. Chase didn't know her like that…not even close; she hadn't collapsed in Chase's arms the first time she killed someone and dissolved into tears; she hadn't spent the night on the couch with him after her dad showed up at CTU and beat the shit out of her. Chase only knew what she chose to tell him and that meant if anything were – hypothetically – to happen between them it only had to go as deep as she wanted it to. None of this being unable to contain yourself or wanting them so badly it made you ache on every level. Chase gave her back some of the control she'd lost with Rick and that could be good. That could be what she needed if she survived this.

A searchlight shone through the small slit of a window and Alex shut her eyes to the brightness. They'd given it to her pretty badly today so they would probably leave her alone until morning. She could sleep a bit if she really tried.

* * *

Michelle looked away from the TV she hadn't really been watching when the door to her hotel room swung open. She smiled easily as Rick entered, kicking off his shoes and slumping onto the bed across from the one she was sitting on. They had gotten two rooms – Bill, Jack and Chase in one and Rick with Tony and Michelle in the other.

Michelle sat up a little when she saw him, offering a soft smile.

"Talk to Claire?"

"Yeah. She's gonna do what she can. We'll just have to be careful no one finds out. Eva's kinda a stickler for protocol."

Eva Jacobs had replaced Chloe when she went on mat leave. Michelle didn't know who she was but she _did _know that she'd asked Rick out four times in the last six months and four times he'd turned her down without a reason. Well, without giving her a reason.

"Where's Tony?"

"Talking to Jack. Bill said he was going to try and sleep a bit."

"Chase?"

Michelle shrugged offhandedly, rubbing her bare arms.

"Couldn't tell you."

Rick leaned back against the headboard and let his eyes close for a moment.

"It's weird he's here, right?"

"Jack thought we could use the help I guess."

Rick sat up again and shook his head.

"No I know but…it's gonna get pretty bad out there, and he has a kid. Seems like a big risk to take when you don't have to take it."

Michelle managed to keep her face neutral. Rick wasn't supposed to know that she and Tony had known where Alex was all along, or that she'd spent two and a half months in London.

"You're sure you're up for this?" Rick pressed warily. "I mean I know you wanna help and everything, Michelle but I'd kinda like to keep you around for a while longer…and I think Tony would too."

Michelle grinned, but nodded.

"I'll be alright. I have you covering my ass, don't I?"

Rick snorted. "That's true. It doesn't get any better than this."

Michelle laughed, finding her sweater and tugging it over her head before moving across the room to Rick's bed.

"How are you doing?"

He exhaled softly and shrugged.

"Every day for the last ten months I've been furious at her…she was everywhere…it was like she was haunting me or something and I wished she would just go away. She chose to leave and I was pissed off but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop thinking about her…" he hung his head a little bit. "And now I can't even remember why I was mad. I just miss her; I want see her and talk to her and the idea that she might…"

He trailed off, his throat constricting. Michelle squeezed his knee.

"We'll get her back." She told him gently. "They had to keep her alive to interrogate. We'll pull her out and it'll be okay."

Rick nodded solemnly, sliding an arm across Michelle's shoulders and tugging her against him.

* * *

"Hey…" Tony slid down the wall and settled beside Jack. He said he was keeping watch but Tony didn't believe him. He probably just wanted some quiet.

"Hey…" Jack lifted his head. "Everyone's in bed?"

Tony nodded wordlessly.

"How's Michelle doing?"

Tony rubbed the side of his face and shrugged.

"Alright I guess…hasn't said much about it."

"The goal is to get in and out undetected. With any luck, we won't have to engage them."

"Yeah…" Tony sighed. "Things don't usually work out like they're supposed to though, huh Jack?"

Jack laughed quietly.

"What are you doing out here anyway?"

Jack shrugged. "Thinking I guess…about Audrey."

Tony's muscles constricted.

"Yeah…"

"You know what she was like when she came back from..." Jack stated.

Tony gritted his teeth but said nothing.

"I'm just wondering if maybe I'd made contact with Karen earlier…Tony, we don't know what kind of a state she's going to in when we pull her out…or if she's even still alive …"

Tony waited a beat before asking the question that had been on his mind all afternoon.

"Why is Chase here, Jack?"

"I thought we could use the extra set of hands."

Tony raised an eyebrow and his jaw shifted to one side.

"Alright…whatever you say."

"Don't worry. It's not important."

"I'm just trying to gauge what we're dealing with here…and if you're holding out on me."

Jack said nothing. Tony sighed impatiently, slapping Jack on the back as he rose to his feet.

" Get some rest. I'll see ya in a bit."

* * *

They left early, Michelle soaking in the last little bit of summer weather she could. Jack had said the temperatures had been unseasonably cold for the last few weeks. She wasn't sure what unseasonably cold meant for Siberia but had a feeling she didn't want to find out.

They arrived back at the airport just after sunrise. Michelle, Tony, Bill and Chase surrendered their passports to Jack and Rick who went to work making flight arrangements. According to Jack, they needed to make their way towards the Russian border and then drive somehow the rest of the way. The camp was in the middle of Russo-Chinese wilderness and Jack apparently would be able to acquire a military transport vehicle to get them the rest of the way. She believed him; Jack kept the details to himself, but she doubted he would drag them all the way out there unless he knew had every kink worked out.

Michelle was in a daze when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned in time to see Tony slide into the chair beside her and ease her against him.

"How you doin'?"

She sighed. "I'm worried about her."

Tony grimaced. "Yeah…me too."

"Jack barely survived…Audrey's never going to be the same…"

"Alex is tough, Michelle. You know that as well as anyone. She's hanging in there…"

She sighed, tilting her head against his shoulder.

"How's Rick?"

"I dunno…he's not talking to me." Tony declared, his eyes shifting towards his brother. "Freaking out I guess. I would be."

"You think he'll be alright?" she twisted to study his face. Tony pressed his lips to her temple.

"How about you let me worry about him and you worry about you?"

Michelle angled her head towards him, her mouth lifting at the corners.

"You're not worrying about me enough for the both of us?"

Tony's face didn't mirror her subtle amusement. Instead he just nuzzled his nose into her curls.

"Don't do that to me again, sweetheart." His voice crackled slightly and her heart clenched. She didn't ask what he meant. She didn't need to.

It was three blissful minutes of silence before Jack appeared in front of them, declaring it was time to board. They were halfway to the gate when Michelle slid an arm around his hip, leaning over to kiss the base of his neck, as anxiety threatened to well up inside her.

Still, for the first time in the entire time they'd been together Michelle wasn't sick with worry at the prospect of her husband going into the field. This time, no matter what happened, she'd be there.

* * *

Night had fallen and Rick zipped up his ski-jacket, cutting the chill of the wind. Even in spring, it was cold at night, almost below freezing. Being on a plane for what felt like days hadn't helped either. Now they stood just outside the perimeter of the encampment, getting ready to move in.

Rick watched with a little anxiety as Michelle fumbled with the rifle in her hand. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she still didn't feel comfortable with it. It looked too big against her small frame and she wouldn't be used to the weight if she had to pull the trigger. Her shot could go wide very easily. A crash course before they got in the jeep wasn't much. As much as he wanted her there she'd be better off safe and sound at home…

But Michelle wanted to help and Rick could appreciate why. Michelle not only felt like she owed Alex, but she missed Alex. Sometimes he thought Michelle missed Alex as much as him. She seemed herself for the most part, but the not being able to get pregnant was getting to her. She missed having to someone to go out with that wasn't himself or Tony; someone who she could talk to about things he and Tony would never understand. They'd gotten used to having each other around before Alex disappeared and Michelle missed her friend.

Michelle was checking again to make sure she'd loaded the gun properly when Tony appeared. He'd barely left her side once since they arrived at the first airport, constantly reaching out to touch her in little ways…like he was afraid he might not get another chance to.

"You're good." Tony assured her quietly, taking the weapon from her hands and resting it against the wheel of the jeep. He glanced around briefly noting that everyone else was occupied with their own preparations. Michelle shivered a little as he stepped closer, running his hand along her arm.

"Do whatever Rick says…" he insisted quietly. "I don't care what's happening with everyone else…you don't worry about me…you don't worry about Alex…you help where you can and you take care of yourself. You hear me?"

She knew better than to argue.

"It'll be fine, sweetheart."

His face contorted into something painful and his hands came to her face, eyes burning a little in the corners. He pulled her mouth to his.

"I love you," he mumbled against her lips. "No matter what."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you too."

"Alright," Jack called over everyone. "We split up as soon as we reach the point of entry. Make sure you stay on the delta-five frequency. We're moving now…"


	4. Savior

Bruised 

**A/N: **_So…this is me making up for taking so long with the last chapter. Thank you sososo much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I really hope you enjoy this one. Thanks again guys! _

Chapter Three – Savior

_There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place_

_And there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds. _

_But seldom do these words ring true_

_When I'm constantly failing you_

_Walls that we just can't break through_

_Until we disappear_

_So tell me now,_

_If this ain't love the how do we get out…? _

_**- Savior by Rise Against**_

They parted ways just after they reached the far side of the shed. Jack moved ahead with Bill to one door, while the rest of them crept around to the other side.

"Alright Jack…" Rick hissed into his walkie-talkie as he too approached their door. "Ready when you are."

Jack knew there was a very real possibility they would trigger the alarm this time too. The new codes he'd been fed could have been faulty or there could have been a new trick to entering them. They were taking a risk, but then so was Cheng. He was assuming no one would think they would keep their star prisoner so far away from the safety of the encampment. It wasn't a very logical move. Cheng thought Jack would expect him to have Alex kept close to the security of the compound. Cheng obviously didn't know Jack very well.

Simultaneously the codes were inputted and both the hydraulic doors to the small building swung open.

"Everyone knows where they're going?" Jack checked and Rick confirmed, grabbing Michelle and moving left as Tony and Chase went right.

* * *

Rick kept Michelle within arm's length as they slipped down one corridor. Every time they came to a door he held her back, ordering her to cover him as he kicked the door open and swept the room. All of them held only old military equipment and old computers. Michelle observed Rick carefully; he said very little to her but whenever he moved to a new door he inhaled deeply as if preparing himself for what he might see on the other side of the wall.

As the corridor came to an end and they were no closer to seeing any indication of the reason they were there Michelle started to get nervous. If Alex was being kept at the center of the encampment they were going to have a much tougher time staying undetected and god only knew what Cheng would do to Alex if he saw their little search and rescue party coming after her.

* * *

Bill was getting frustrated, anyone could see that. With each empty room they passed and the complete silence of the walkie-talkie he was wondering if maybe they weren't going to find her at all. Maybe Cheng wasn't even keeping her here anymore or maybe she was…

Alex shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be giving up her freedom – her life – for something she didn't do. Alex _wouldn't _be there if it wasn't for… If _he_ hadn't been involved in the situation Alex wouldn't have jumped at the chance to sign the confession. She wouldn't have gone running to her father the second _his_ life was threatened. No matter what she said about protecting Claire, she did what she did because she knew in the eyes of everyone else Rick was expendable. Rick would be a simple, albeit, tragic casualty of the circumstances and she wasn't willing to let that happen… And now while Rick walked around bitter about her leaving (and getting more bitter with each passing day) Alex was fighting to stay alive.

Another empty room made Bill curse under his breath behind Jack. She had to be here. Somewhere.

* * *

There was no indication of Alex anywhere in their part of the building and with every second that passed without word from the others Tony grew increasingly worried. He also watched Chase grow increasingly worried and was starting to wonder what exactly had gone down in London. If Jack knew he wasn't talking to anyone, not even him.

Chase swore when they reached the end of the corridor and found yet another empty room. The panic that simultaneously filled Tony was put on the backburner as he watched Chase's face change yet again. Tony was definitely missing something here.

And then Tony saw it – another door hidden behind the back of the stairwell. He slipped around cautiously, Chase right behind him with his weapon poised as Tony kicked open the door. It didn't take much force and Tony lifted his flashlight to eyelevel, peering down into the darkness.

Stairs.

"Jack it's me." Tony picked up his walkie-talkie. "Did you know this thing has another level?"

"What?"

"There's a lower level. You can barely see anything down there."

"Alright what's your location?"

"End of the east corridor. If Cheng was keeping her this far away from the center of the compound throwing her in the basement would make a rescue a lot harder…especially if there's only one way out."

"Alright…move in, but be careful. Bill and I will come cover you. Radio if you find anything."

"Michelle and I are done. We'll meet you there too." Rick's voice echoed sporadically.

"Copy. We're moving in."

* * *

It was dark and smelled musty from the dampness of the location. There was no small amount of light emanating from overhead, or from any windows. Twice Tony stepped in something and twice he didn't want to know what it was. Ever. Cautiously they crept around the perimeter of the basement. The first door was a bust and Tony was really starting to wonder if they were going to have to do this all over again somewhere that required a lot more stealth. Maybe he could convince Michelle and Bill to go back and wait by the truck. They would need to be quick and he needed Michelle to not be here. He felt guilty worrying about her when he knew she was fine and had no idea what kind of state Alex would be in if – _when _– they found her. But he couldn't help it. He really just needed Michelle to be safe if his head was going to be in this completely…

His reverie was interrupted when they opened a second door. Something was different. Chase sensed it too because before they'd even lifted their flashlights they both held their breath, listening to hear if they were imagining things or not.

Breathing. Slow, raspy, stilted breathing.

Tony swung his flashlight up immediately and Chase was halfway across the room by the time he'd registered whose body it was that was dangling from the rafters like dead cattle. Tony groped for his radio, yelling at everyone that they'd found her and felt his way along the sides of the walls, finding a switch and bathing the room in harsh, yellow lighting just as Chase reached her. Tony ran to join him, finding his switchblade in his back pocket as Chase pulled the jacket from his shoulders and wrapped it around her shivering form. She wore black underwear and a black tank top, her blond hair hung straggly down her back and she had abrasions in some form on every inch of visible skin. Bile pooled in Tony's throat as he approached her, the sour stench of the room overwhelming him. Like vomit mixed with something else.

"Pulse?" Tony checked anxiously, sliding a hand around her frozen skin and feeling the base of her neck. Relief overwhelmed him. It was horribly faint but it was there. She was breathing, however strained, and she had a pulse.

Chase's arms slid beneath her, easing the pressure off her shoulders. They looked swollen but neither seemed dislocated. That was lucky. Who knew how long she'd been like this for. As soon as Chase relieved some of the pain she groaned loudly and her head fell back against his chest.

Tony moved around to see her face just as her eyelids peeled back and pale blue eyes stared at him. That wasn't right; her eyes weren't supposed to be that lackluster. Chase whispered quietly for her to "just relax" as her eyes finally found focus.

"Tony…" her voice was soft and squeaky. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek.

"Hey kiddo…Chase's got you…We're gonna get you down, alright?"

Her eyes watered and she bit her bloody lip as Chase lifted her a little higher. She could do nothing more than whimper as the blood started to flow back to her shoulders while Tony flipped open his knife and moved in to slice the ropes.

* * *

Rick found them first, skidding to a halt when he reached the lit room. His heart almost stopped when he saw her just as Tony was finishing off the ropes. He darted across the room, unable to process what any of it might mean in that moment; not wanting to think about what her condition might be or whether or not she would even recognize any of them. He needed to see her and touch her and…

Chase's knees bent a little under her dead weight as she fell on him completely and he backed up while Tony glanced around quickly for her clothes.

"Al…" Rick had crossed the distance and pulled her face into his hands, only to find her eyes closed again. There was a large scrape across her cheek that had crusted with blood and a bump on her forehead. His stomach threatened to betray him and his vision started to blur as he pulled her drooping head into his hands and pushed matted hair behind her ears, her skin icy to touch… They had to get her out. Now.

"Here…give her to me…" Rick ordered softly, not bothering to check the look he received from Chase and somehow managing to keep his voice steady. Chase handed her over without much hesitation and Rick scooped her up in his arms, her whole body convulsing against the sudden, overwhelming heat he provided.

"Rick…" she breathed against his neck, teeth chattering violently. He shuddered too at both the way she sounded when she spoke and the way she knew it was him instinctively.

"Hey…" his lips grazed her forehead and he stroked her body gently. She weighed barely anything, not that she'd been anywhere close to heavy before, but now she was just skin and bones and a few major organs. Even through Chase's jacket she felt too angular against him. He tightened his hold on her.

"We're gonna get you out of here." He promised softly as Bill finally reached them. Jack was hollering directions at everyone, but Rick couldn't really hear them and frankly he didn't care at this point. He had the only thing he'd come here for. He'd get her out one way or another.

Bill stretched out a hand, smoothing her hair back as his face contorted painfully. He didn't look at Rick.

"Aly it's me…"

She did nothing more than nod a little in response, trying to bury herself in Rick. Jack appeared with a handful of clothes that Michelle had thought to bring last minute and reluctantly Rick eased her to her feet. She swayed a little and dropped her head forward against his shoulder as Bill and Chase pulled on a pair of jeans that were way too big on her now. Rick pushed the jacket from her shoulders (Chase would need it once they got outside) and reluctantly handed Alex back for Chase to steady as he ripped his own jacket from his body and tugged his sweatshirt over his head and onto her, hoping that it combined with body heat would keep her warm. She had to be hypothermic. Her lips were practically blue.

His hands cupped her face and he pulled her forehead against his. She was still shivering and he slid a hand into her hair.

"You're gonna be okay…" he told her firmly. "You're gonna stay with me on this, alright? Just a few more minutes."

She chattered a _'kay_ against him, her breaths still uneven.

"Here…" Bill had reappeared with a blanket in his hands. Rick breathed the smallest sigh of relief. He'd kiss Michelle later for being the only one with enough common sense to bring something to cover her with.

"Chase, take Alex." Jack ordered suddenly. Rick turned to stare.

"I can take her."

"We need you to help get everyone out. Chase can carry her just as well as you can."

"Chase can shoot a gun too, Jack…"

"And if you can't be objective you're going to get half of us killed before we even get outside." Jack's eyes flitted briefly to the doorway that Tony was – albeit, reluctantly – covering with Michelle.

"Cheng probably knows we're here by now and I need you to shoot."

Jack was right; the two of them needed to be able to act unencumbered with the added weight of Alex now. As a group they'd be much slower and if they needed to engage he needed to be ready.

Rick released her to Chase, but not before pressing a quick kiss to her temple. In that moment he couldn't care about anything except that she was alive.

* * *

Jack led the way up the stairs with Bill and Chase right behind him. Michelle was directly in front of Rick and Tony was slightly to her left. It wasn't lost on her that she was being sandwiched in the middle with Chase while everyone else surrounding them…for protection she assumed. Michelle didn't have a good feeling about this.

The building was still quiet on the way out. The only sound Chase heard was their silent, hurried footsteps as they flew through the halls and Alex's labored breaths. Occasionally her eyes would open and once he felt her fingers tighten through his jacket. She still shivered and pressed closer to him as they got closer to the exit, as if feeling the wind they were about to be met with.

"Rick, get up here…" Jack's voice echoed hoarsely as soon as they reached the door. He motioned for Bill to step back.

"Tony watch from behind."

"Yeah…got it."

"Michelle?"

"I'm good."

"Chase stay behind me. Watch me in case anything changes. You might need to run with her..."

No one's face showed it, but a chill simultaneously ran through everyone at Jack's words. Tony bit his lip, casting a glance towards the front of the building before tugging Michelle towards him and bringing her palm to his lips for a quick second. She may not appear nervous to anyone else but he could tell her anxiety had just hit the roof. He squeezed her fingers gently and released her, stepping forward slightly and observing the space behind them.

What happened next happened quickly. Jack glanced at all of them before sliding the door open, gun poised as he scanned the open space. It was dark and they saw no one, but Jack still felt uneasy. Behind him he felt Rick step forward, his own weapon aimed in the same way as he too waited for someone to appear. So far nothing, but they felt too exposed.

It was about 100 yards to the edge of the encampment where their vehicle waited. On all sides trees surrounded them but Jack was wary to move them into the cover if he didn't have to. It would take longer, and there was a very good chance Cheng's men were waiting in there. If Jack was about to get ambushed he wanted to see where they were coming from. He didn't want to get backed into a corner. Not with six other people, one who could barely stand at this point.

They were had crossed half the distance when something felt wrong. The look exchanged between Jack and Rick was so quick that no one saw it, but they were both thinking the same thing. They were being watched. Tony, Michelle and Bill still hadn't stepped into the moonlight and a split-second before it was too late Rick dropped back practically throwing Michelle to the side and within crawling distance of the shrubbery and urging Bill and Tony to follow.

The lights hit them an instant after Tony disappeared and Rick squinted to see what was happening as he stepped towards Jack and Chase just as a vehicle came speeding around the corner, circling the three of them as a group of armed men jumped out and surrounded them.

"Jack Bauer." Cheng, the only man not dressed in military garb, stepped in front of them. "It's nice to see I've learned something about you over these last few months. The best way to catch Jack Bauer is to let him think he has you beat. Ms. Raines didn't seem to be enough to lure you, but it's nice to know someone was."

Jack kept his face neutral but both Rick and Chase saw his shoulders tense. Rick took a few tentative steps towards where Cheng stood just as Chase dropped Alex to her feet. She looked wobbly but her fist had clenched at her side. Without a word he pushed her behind him while Chase stepped behind her, shielding her as best they could from the soldiers.

* * *

Back in the trees Tony lay on his stomach beside Michelle. Bill was on the far side of her looking ghostly pale even in the darkness.

"We have to do something." He declared anxiously. Tony bit his lip, but nodded, checking his weapon.

"You guys go get the truck. We're gonna have to make a run for it."

"What are you gonna do?" Michelle's words were rife with anxiety.

"Don't worry about it."

"Tony…"

"Just do it, Michelle! Go with Bill."

"We're already outnumbered…" Bill reminded him reasonably, belying the panic he felt.

"Which is why we're going to have to run like hell once we get out. We have to be ready to go."

Michelle started to speak but he cut her off.

"I'll be right behind you. Go."

They both still looked hesitant and Tony sighed impatiently.

"Get the damn car or nobody's getting out of this thing." He tossed the keys in Bill's direction, his voice leaving no room for argument. Michelle shot him a fleeting look as she got to her knees, disappearing behind Bill into the darkness.

* * *

"It must be nice, Ms. Evans, to know some people will go to so many lengths to rescue you. It would really be a shame to let them all die, wouldn't it? Bauer will tell you I'm not an unreasonable man. Your friends may leave as soon as they surrender you back into our custody. Yourself and Mr. Bauer of course."

Rick took a step back, feeling her fingertips touch him.

"Tony…" she hissed, without noticeably moving her mouth.

"Hmm?"

"_Tony_…" her voice went up a decibel and Rick snuck a glance to the wooded area.

Rick bit his lip, moving his head just enough so she could see he'd heard him. Chase had stepped closer too, trying to hear what was being said. Rick on the other hand was trying to think about how to get word to Jack. It didn't look like he was going to have an opportunity; he'd just have to hope Jack would respond whenever Tony decided to make his move.

"Rick…" her voice strained. She was exhausted. "There are too many…I can shoot too…"

"You need to run like hell." Chase interjected softly. "That's it." He looked to see if they'd drawn attention yet. Cheng was still taunting Jack.

Her hand pressed lightly against the small of Rick's back, feeling the handgun tucked in his jeans. Her fingers slid beneath his clothing and wrapped around the weapon, breathing deeply.

"You got a little left for me?" Rick gulped, feeling her frozen fingertips against his warm skin. She was barely standing upright, but there was too much opposition to try and shoot their way out of it with everyone trying to protect her from gunfire. She was better off armed and making a break for it when she could.

"You're gonna get her killed - " Chase snapped.

"Shut up. I'm fine." Alex panted with as much bite as she could muster.

Her hand moved around Rick's waist and she pressed her face to his shoulder. He simply nodded, biting back the warning that was on his lips as Cheng's eyes turned to him again. Chase was impatient; he wouldn't indulge her for long and he'd get her out.

* * *

Tony found his semi and checked the area around him. He wouldn't have long before they figured out where the side attack was coming from. He only hoped Michelle and Bill would have managed to get to the car and get it started in the time they had.

* * *

"So Ms. Evans, Mr. Bauer…will you come quietly or will your friends have to suffer the consequences of your stubbornness?"

Alex stiffened, making it look like she was leaning on Rick for support. No one made any move to leave.

"Fine." Cheng waved his hand. "Take Evans and Bauer alive. Kill the others."

Machine gun fire startled everyone and half the commandoes turned to the forested area where the shots were coming from, guns aimed and some of them started to return fire. A lot happened in those few seconds. Jack leapt forward, elbowing the man nearest to him in the face and kneeing him hard until he dropped his weapon into Jack's waiting hand. Alex finally ripped the gun into plain sight, shooting the men directly in front of them while Rick spun around to take out those behind them that had moved towards his brother's hidden position and clearing a path for their retreat. One of the commandoes had already pulled Cheng into safety inside the first vehicle, getting him out of range before Chase could take him out. Another hummer filled with men sped into view, already starting to return fire just as Rick turned back around to see where they were.

"Tony, go!" Rick shouted, catching of a glimpse of his brother a few feet from where he stood.

"Meet us at the North end of the perimeter! We'll catch up!"

Tony's protests were cut off by the firefight and he could only oblige, disappearing back into the trees after firing off a few more rounds.

"Chase, get her out of here!" Rick yelled over the commotion seconds later. For a moment it seemed like Chase hadn't heard him until he lowered his weapon, his right hand jutting out and yanking Alex with him towards the trees. To the North he heard Jack's gunfire and figured he'd managed to find some sort of cover. Rick bolted to join him, barely missing getting nicked as he ducked to the ground behind the cover of one of the other vehicles the men had arrived him.

"They're gone…" Rick informed him, dropping to his stomach and peaking around one corner as Jack returned fire on the top. "I told Tony North side."

Jack simply grunted in response, knowing they were both wondering the same thing…what the odds were they'd last long enough for Tony to get them out.

* * *

Alex kept checking over her shoulder as Chase urged her along through the woods, his hand wrapped tightly around hers. Both her legs and lungs were burning and she felt like had there been less adrenaline in her system she would've been in more pain. At least she could still function like this.

Chase's grip tightened as he pulled her further into the darkness, maneuvering them through the thicket.

"There were too many…" she panted tiredly, her head spinning a little from exhaustion and her muscles starting to shake. She was moving too slow for Chase's liking and he kept urging her forward.

"We shouldn't have left." She protested.

"Rick told me to get you out. They're fine." Chase snarled. "And you would be too if he hadn't made you shoot."

She wanted to argue but her strength was too sapped. All she could focus on was moving forward and trying not to stumble as they pushed their way through towards the waiting vehicle, the sounds of gunfire growing faint behind them.

Once they hit open space Chase started to sprint.

"C'mon Al, you gotta move faster than this." He grunted, feeling her speed up a little behind him. Her face was ghostly white, almost translucent, and her hair was flying everywhere. She looked as if she'd already been dead in the ground when they found her. The only sound he could hear as they moved was his slightly labored breathing and her gasps for oxygen. She was fading fast. They shouldn't have wasted her energy on trying to shoot.

The car was already running and Tony sat waiting with one door open, looking a little worse for wear but nothing permanent. Chase dragged Alex towards the jeep, shooting a final glance behind him as Tony pulled her into the truck and she finally collapsed with a loud moan against him. Chase hopped up and the door swung shut.

"Bill, go!" Tony snapped. The wheels of the jeep squealed in the semi-frozen mud and they were moving. Michelle checked her rifle from the passenger seat and twisted around to the side door as they moved through the woods as quickly as possible. Tony stumbled a little as he slumped back onto a seat, wrapping an arm around Alex's waist and tilting her back against his side. His arm dug between her shoulder blades and his fingers curled against her abdomen. Alex squirmed, unable to control the convulsions of her body as Tony tried to smooth back her hair.

And then everything went black.

* * *

The sound of burning rubber filled the nostrils of everyone in the jeep as they came to an abrupt halt at the far end of the complex.

"Chase, door!" Tony ordered. Chase picked up his weapon and swung the door open, firing a few shoots as Michelle did the same from the passenger's seat just as Jack and Rick made a mad dash for them.

Chase pulled Jack in first, Rick spinning around at the last possible second to empty his magazine before grabbing Chase's proffered hand and climbing into the vehicle. By the time Jack shut the door again Bill had already set the car in motion and was speeding into the darkness.

Jack got to his feet, glancing through the backdoor to see if they were getting followed.

"We took out their tires." He explained. "We'll have about one minute on them. The rendezvous point for the chopper is Northwest. The vectors should already be in the GPS.

"How is - ?"

"She's fine, Bill. Tony's got her. We don't have time to switch out now. Just keep driving."

Bill breathed deeply and focused on the terrain in front of him, his worried eyes catching Michelle's but saying nothing.

"C'mon, Al, ya gotta wake up for me." Tony encouraged softly, shifting so he had more of a hold on her. Her eyes didn't open.

"Damn it…" Tony smacked her cheek, trying to startle her awake. She finally groaned again as Rick crept towards her.

"C'mon Al…" Tony repeated, checking her pulse for what felt like the fortieth time since she'd gotten into the car. "You can sleep in a bit. I need you awake right now…"

Chase snarled abruptly. "If you hadn't made her shoot she might not have killed herself from exhaustion trying to get out - "

"If she hadn't shot we'd all be dead right now…her included." Rick spun around.

"She might be dead anyway thanks to you…"

Rick's eyes flashed and he started to respond, chest puffed out in indignation, when he heard her shaky, barely audible voice.

"Play nice boys; no one's dead."

To everyone's surprise Jack actually let out a small chuckle, more out of relief in anything else. Alex, who had been unconscious a second before, still found it in her to be facetious.

Rick's anger dissipated as Chase and Jack shifted along the floor of the vehicle towards her as well. Tony's hand found her cheek, tilting her head back so she could see his face.

"You're stayin' awake for me?"

She nodded weakly, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"You're warm." She managed through chattered teeth, wondering if the all-consuming heat she'd relished in every time Rick had held her wasn't so much a marine-thing as it was an Almeida-thing. Tony chuckled too, tucking her against him as Chase picked up a blanket and tossed it their way.

"Ten miles to the rendezvous point." Bill called out from the front. "Any sign of them?"

Jack checked quickly and shook his head.

"No. So far so good."

Rick relaxed a little, reaching out to caress her arm and about to order his brother to hand her over when Bill spoke again:

"Tony, you've got her okay?"

Rick's jaw clenched and Tony exchanged a look with him, neither of them missing the intent in Bill's words. Tony shifted again and lifted Alex across his lap, pulling her more tightly into his body, her cold face pressed against his collar.

"Yeah…I got her."


	5. Set Fire to the Third Bar

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. That thing was a monster to right, and I really appreciate the feedback! Thanks again!_

**Edit: **_The title of this chapter has been changed because I wanted to use it somewhere else. Haha. Sorry for any confusion guys. Indulge me. _

Chapter Four – Set Fire to the Third Bar

_I'm miles from where you are_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_And I, I pray that something picks me up _

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

_**- Set Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol f. Martha Wainwright **_

"_Hey…" Michelle touched Alex's arm softly. Alex spun around abruptly, but relaxed when she saw who it was. _

_"Hey…" she exhaled. "You scared me." _

_Michelle's eyes narrowed a little in concern. _

_"You okay?" _

_"Yeah…the meeting's over I guess?" _

_Michelle shrugged. "You didn't miss much. Don't worry." _

_Alex sighed, dropping her bag to the desk that was littered in papers. Her heart was still pounding a little from the rush she'd been in that morning to try and get to work on time. _

_"Yeah…my alarm didn't go off and Claire had late class so…" she shrugged it off, slumping down in the chair of a desk that was nothing more than a poorly organized filing cabinet. Michelle couldn't recall ever seeing Alex sit at her desk and do work. If there was paperwork to be done she usually took it into the Conference room, coercing Michelle into joining her as often as possible. It killed some of the monotony for both of them. _

_Michelle studied her curiously for a few seconds, trying to gauge the expression on her face. Even when she was rattled, Alex was a good liar. Now she was mindlessly gathering some of the pens on her desk and placing them in an empty coffee mug when Michelle spoke again. _

_"I had dinner with Rick last night." _

_Apparently the statement startled Alex because the mug was sent spiraling to the floor with a loud crash. Alex groaned and dropped to her knees, picking up the shards of ceramic as best she could while Michelle knelt beside her and scooped up the pens. She lifted an eyebrow. _

_Alex colored, rising to her feet again. _

_"He kissed me." _

_Michelle knew that already and pursed her lips together. _

_"And…?" she waited expectantly. Alex groaned a little. _

_"And I went over after work so we could talk…" she shrugged her jacket off and tossed it on the chair and Michelle had to bring a hand to her mouth to contain her laugh. Alex stared at her. _

_"What?"_

_"N-nothing." Michelle cleared her throat, lowering her hand again. Alex's brow creased and Michelle observed the three small marks on top of her chest and the one on the side of her neck. _

_"You just uh…might wanna keep your jacket on for the rest of the day unless you want the entire office to know how much talking you did last night…" _

_Alex's eyes widened with horror and she fumbled to tug her jacket back on, cheeks flaming now. She hadn't even had time to glance in a mirror that morning. Michelle touched her arm. _

_"C'mon…I have stuff in the locker room." _

_"Start talking." Michelle declared wryly as soon as they had confirmed that the locker room was in fact empty, save for them. Michelle had already started fishing out a compact while Alex tugged her tank top over her head and ducked into her own locker for a t-shirt that would cover up everything but the mark right in the crook of her neck. _

_Alex turned back and let Michelle go to work. Thankfully their skin tones were close enough. _

_"I'm still waiting…" _

_"I told you, I went over after work to talk to him and…and now you're covering up…" Alex groaned and leaned back against the locker while Michelle laughed. _

_"Did you…" Michelle grabbed Alex's arm and tugged her forward. "Did you have sex?" _

_Alex pursed her lips together, shutting her eyes tightly and nodding as quickly as she could. _

_"Oh my god…" Michelle's mouth formed a small 'o' and Alex groaned again, dropping to the bench. _

_"I know…" Alex whined, head in her hands. "I know, I know, I know…" _

_"I'm just…"_

_"Yeah, I know." _

_Michelle sat down beside her, finding her words. _

_"More…" she cleared her throat. "More than once?" _

_Alex nodded, still not looking at her. _

_"Did – ?"_

_"I lost count," the words were muffled in her hands. "I ran out the door ten minutes before he had to leave for work. I'm on like an hour of sleep here." _

_Michelle had to purse her lips together to keep from laughing inappropriately._

_"How did it happen?" _

_"We were…" Alex looked up. "Alright we were…talking about the kiss and we both kind of agreed it was one of those things…at least, I thought we both agreed and then he was just… he kissed me again and…and things escalated." _

_Michelle was practically grinning now. _

_"Ugh…Michelle…" _

_"I didn't say anything." _

_"You were thinking it." _

_Michelle snickered lightly. "So…" she nudged Alex teasingly with her elbow. "How was it?" _

_"Michelle…" _

_"Must've been good if you were at it all night," she ribbed. _

_"Michelllleeeeeee…" _

_"I'm sorry…you can't tell me something like that and not expect to have to give up some dirt." _

_"Ugh. Ask me something." _

_Michelle's mouth curved into a devious smirk. _

_"Fine. On a scale of one to ten…" _

_Alex groaned. "Fuck, I dunno. Like eighty-two?" _

_Michelle burst out laughing and Alex laughed a little too, relaxing a bit now, her cheeks still hot. _

_"Oh god, it was good…really good. Seriously, if that's what sex is I dunno what the hell I've been doing this whole time…Not that. Definitely not that." _

_Michelle's grin widened. _

"_Are you sufficiently satisfied?" Alex groused. _

_Michelle snorted. "Not really. We'll have to work on your disclosure if this is going to keep happening…" _

_Alex tensed a little. There'd been no time to discuss if anything was going to keep happening. _

_"I guess we'll have to talk about that today…" _

_"Yeah, good idea." Michelle rose and Alex did the same. "See if you can actually get around to talking this time though…" _

_Alex smacked her hard on the arm and Michelle snickered as they stepped back into the hallway._

* * *

TOKYO, JAPAN

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Rick was pacing along the hotel corridor. They were back in Tokyo and Bill was really starting to get on his nerves now. Alex had left _him, _not the other way around. If he still wanted to interact with her that was his choice, not Bill's. If he wanted to sit with her and hold her hand while this doctor Chase had brought in looked her over that was _his_ prerogative…

The first eight hours following her rescue she'd been passed along like a rag doll, alternating between Tony and Bill. Occasionally she would speak but mostly she was silent. During the chopper ride back to the airport in Dalian she'd been strapped into the seat diagonal from his, fighting off sleep as she rested her cut cheek against Bill's shoulder. Her eyes were bleary and unfocused but somehow in her state of delirium they'd still found him. They'd found him long enough to reach out a hand, wordlessly asking for his. He'd squeezed her frozen fingers, ignoring the look Bill shot him in response. She'd been shivering uncontrollably and looked so small curled in the seat with her legs at her chest. He ached to pull her against him and tell her it was all going to be okay; he would make it all okay.

And instead all he'd gotten so far was that minute to hold her when they'd first found her, her palm across his stomach as she got ready to shoot and a few brushes of her hand on the way back to the airport. Bill had wanted to stay the night in China but Jack insisted they were too vulnerable. They had to get back to Tokyo before Cheng's people found them. From there they could decided on their next course of action. Every time Rick tried to steal a second to say something to Alex Bill pulled her away, urging her to rest. On the plane back she tilted her head against the window in the row of seats in front of him. She wasn't sleeping though. From the back of her head he could tell she wasn't sleeping. Her shoulders were too tense and she barely moved.

He definitely hadn't liked when she'd stepped out into the airport in Tokyo and Chase had held her back, cupping her face in both hands and asking how she was doing. Bill didn't seem too bothered by _that_... Alex had patted his hand lightly and told him hoarsely she was fine before following Bill to the exit.

Rick flinched, knowing she'd kill him for even thinking it; for thinking about how _he_ was supposed to be the one who got to carry her, not Chase; he was supposed to be the one to cradle her against him, not Tony or Bill; and he was supposed to be the one who protected her, not the one everyone was afraid was going to make the whole thing worse for her. No matter what had happened between them the fact of the matter was he wasn't there because his brother had asked him to be, or because he was the only one of them to have successfully pulled something like this off before…he was there _for her._

So here they were: Chase wandering aimlessly with a phone pressed against his ear, Rick himself unable to stand still, Jack and Bill were inside the room with Alex and Tony and Michelle slumped in the corner of the hallway with tangled limbs. If Bill hadn't left Alex's side since her rescue, Tony certainly hadn't left his wife's. His fingers laced through hers more often than usual and several times during the flight Rick had caught one of them stealing a kiss from the other when no one was paying attention.

* * *

Michelle pressed closer to Tony, pillowing her head against his chest and letting her eyes close. He kissed her hair. She was exhausted, they all were. Abruptly, he tugged gently on her curls with a soft 'hey', angling her face towards his.

"You okay?"

She smiled reassuringly and palmed his cheek. He'd asked her that at least ten times since they'd got on the chopper and she was surprised to find she didn't even feel a little bit irritated by it. Maybe because when all was said and done she'd been just as worried about him as he was about her, Michelle was more than glad to humor his incessant need for reassurance, kissing him softly and snuggling closer.

* * *

A few seconds later the door to the room swung open and Jack emerged. Everyone spun around, Chase closed his phone without an instant's hesitation and Rick froze to the ground, staring impatiently.

"She seems okay." Jack breathed in relief. "She's coherent; she's aware of who everyone is. Her memory about everything that happened before her capture is intact, and she can name most of the people who were interrogating her and what exactly they were doing…"

"What about…?"

"She's hypothermic. A few ribs are cracked." Jack bit his lip. "She's in pain, but she's better off than we could have hoped for…so far anyway."

He paused for an instant just as Bill appeared at the entrance, the doctor slipping past them and quietly clasping hands with Jack and then Chase before heading to the elevator. Bill looked livid; his fists were clenched, his eyes were blazing and his jaw was tight. He looked the closest Bill would ever look to punching a hole in the wall. At first it wasn't readily apparent whom the new wave of animosity was directed at, but his angry eyes met Tony's for a brief moment before turning to Rick. Rick frowned a little, forgetting his own indignation. What had Tony done?

"She needs help getting cleaned up." Jack interrupted calmly, looking to Michelle. It took her a second to process what was being asked of her before she jumped to her feet.

"Sure. Of course…" she squeezed Tony's hand as she pulled away.

Jack pulled her into the room and out of earshot. The lights were dim and his voice was low in her ear.

"The doctor said it's fine to put her in the shower but don't have the water too hot. Make sure the burns get cleaned out and then use the balm on the night table. I'm going to try and get her some food that she can keep down. Okay?"

Michelle started to wonder what exactly she was going to see. Jack didn't exactly have a weak stomach and even he looked a little unnerved.

"I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Thanks, Michelle."

Alex sat on the bed, wearing a way-too-big t-shirt with her fingers curled tightly against the comforter. Her hair was matted and stringy and there was mud crusting in it. Her shoulders were hunched and her eyes stayed on the floor as Michelle entered the room.

"Hey…" Michelle smoothed her hair back gently as she sat on the bed. Alex started, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Hey." Her words were thick and she hacked a cough to clear her throat, shivering and curling her arms around herself.

"C'mon…" Michelle held out a hand. "You're freezing. Let's get you in the shower."

* * *

Alex stuck out some fingers, feeling the temperature of the water and shaking her head. "Cooler than that," she insisted to Michelle, who obliged. Her stomach tightened when Alex moved to shrug her shirt over her head, wincing in pain as she did.

"Here…stick your arms up a little…" Michelle swiftly pulled the t-shirt and gasped. There were large slashes everywhere across Alex's front – her collar, between her breasts, her stomach – some had started healing but some looked fresh, still crusted with blood. One side of her ribcage was swelling purple and her legs were covered in bruises. Alex didn't seem phased by her reaction, reaching for a hand towel as Michelle moved efficiently to discard her of her underwear.

For the first time since her rescue Alex's eyes filled with something other than emptiness as she turned naked to face the shower. Twisting the towel between her fingers, she bunched it into a ball.

"What's that for?" Michelle queried gently. Alex bit her lip.

"I think this is gonna hurt a bit." She said quietly. Michelle's brow furrowed until she saw Alex's back and swallowed the vomit that leapt into her mouth. The entire thing was covered with burns. Some were scabbing over and some were oozing pus and one was red and puffy.

"They're infected." Alex explained immediately, her words stilted. It seemed laborious for her to try and talk. "The doctor wrote me a prescription for antibiotics and the cream's supposed to help. And I'm getting some painkillers so…"

She tensed, her limbs quivering a little as she stepped into the stall. "But I need to clean them out first." She bit down hard on the balled towel, letting her front get a little damp before turning around and backing into the stream slowly.

The scream that escaped Alex's lips, even muffled by the towel, was almost animalistic. Her whole body started shaking and her limbs threatened to give way as one hand jutted out in front of her to steady herself against the wall. Her eyes watered and tears started to fall down her cheeks as she struggled to stay upright. Michelle reacted instinctively a second before she fell, stepping into the shower stall and using her own body weight to steady Alex.

Alex's head dropped to Michelle's now-wet shirt and she sobbed in agony against her shoulder, body still shaking as Michelle's arms moved to find some part of her they could hold onto with causing her anymore pain than she was already in.

Eventually the convulsions stopped and the sobs died down and Alex lifted her head a little. Michelle wiped her cheeks quickly with the pads of her thumbs.

"Okay…" Alex panted. "Okay…I'm okay…"

Michelle stuck her hand out and found another hand towel, wetting it under the stream and urging Alex to turn around so she could see her back. Alex steadied herself against the opposite wall, letting her hair get soaked. The water in the drain ran brown for a minute before Michelle went to work, dabbing at the burns and scabs. Alex nodded a little, tensing under Michelle's gentle ministrations but doing nothing more than whimpering a few times as it continued. Eventually Michelle was satisfied and she reached for the shampoo and conditioner, doing her best to wash and then smooth out some of the knots in her hair.

Finally Michelle killed the water, stepping out onto the bathmat first in her dripping clothes and wrapping a towel around Alex.

"Go sit down." She told her gently, touching her cheek. "I'm just gonna put on some dry clothes and grab a few things. Everyone else is outside. You'll be okay?"

Alex nodded weakly, looking like the shower had taken a lot out of her.

Everyone stared at Michelle when she emerged, but she shook her head to stop them from asking questions, taking the key for their room from Tony and disappearing down the hall. She returned to Alex a few minutes later with a comb and a toothbrush. She ignored the looks again as she ducked back into the room.

* * *

It was half an hour before Alex even looked remotely human again. The balm the doctor had given her seemed to ease her pain a little. Her slightly damp hair didn't look as deadened and lackluster as it had before the shower and she'd pulled on the sweatshirt Rick had given her initially, along with a pair of sweats Michelle had grabbed her before finally crawling between the clean sheets.

Her teeth chattered as she settled back, unable to get warm.

"What do you want me to do?" Michelle asked gently, stroking her hair.

"I can't get warm and I can't sleep." She sniffled. Michelle sighed.

"I know, honey…try and relax a little though."

"Where's Rick?"

Michelle bit her lip. "Outside…do you want me to - ?"

"He's not supposed to be here." She whimpered softly. "Why is he…?"

"He was worried about you, Alex. Everyone was. He wanted to help."

"None of you should be here." She tried to press her face into the pillow but couldn't bend that way. "He's not supposed to want to help me…"

Michelle shifted on the mattress and pulled Alex against her.

"Do you want me to go get him…"

"Ye…wait no, no…" Alex pressed her face into Michelle now. "I'm fine. I can't do that…" she buried her face into Michelle's sweater. "Besides, Bill knows I was pregnant now…he'd go nuts…"

"Okay…okay…" Michelle quietly shushed her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "We'll just stay like this for a while, alright?"

Alex nodded, a few hot tears falling against Michelle's shirt.

"Thanks."

* * *

Michelle had been inside with Alex for over an hour when Jack returned. He disappeared into the room for only a moment before coming to stand in front of them all, arms folded across his chest.

"Michelle's gonna stay in there until morning…it doesn't look like Alex is going to sleep much but just in case…Tony…" he inclined his head in the direction of the room.

Tony nodded, half-dead on his feet and disappeared inside.

"Chase, I need you to make flight arrangements."

Chase hesitated but nodded, disappearing down the hall. Jack turned to Bill and Rick.

"I'm gonna stay out here and keep watch. You guys should try and rest a bit. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"I'm fine here." Rick insisted.

"I don't think you are…" Bill muttered.

"If you've got something to say Bill, say it…because I'm gonna be here until this is done whether you think it's a good idea or not!" Rick snapped.

"That the fact that you can't pay attention to anything but yourself is enough!"

"What the_ hell_ does that mean - !?"

"_Enough_." Jack growled. "We need everyone to get through this, so if you need to get something out in the open get it out now. Understood?"

Rick stared at Bill expectantly who lowered his eyes to the ground.

"No. There's nothing."

"Good. Now the both of you go get some rest. She's fine where she is and if anything changes we'll let you know."

Rick glared at Bill for a few more seconds before rising to his feet and storming off. Bill sighed tiredly before following.

* * *

"He…he doesn't know anything right?" It was just past three and despite Alex's obvious exhaustion her eyes hadn't closed once. Tony sat on the bed opposite them fighting sleep as Alex shifted a little against Michelle, apologizing again softly for being a nuisance. Michelle brushed off Alex's grumblings with her usual patience of a saint and resumed softly sifting through the young woman's hair the same way she did his when she was trying to calm him down.

"He doesn't know." Tony assured Alex, listening to her teeth chatter. Even with their combined body heat both women looked chilled underneath the thin blankets and heavy air conditioning. Michelle kept dozing in and out of consciousness and he kept trying to insist she trade places with him and catch a few hours but she was staying where she was. Tony leaned back against the headboard, knowing he wouldn't sleep either.

* * *

Jack's eyes snapped open and he was on his feet before Rick was even halfway down the hall. He stepped in front of the door and Rick sighed.

"What's up?"

Rick glanced around quickly, running his tongue over his lips.

"I just want five minutes with her, Jack." He said softly, earnestly. "Alright?" he started to push past him but Jack didn't move. Rick sighed again impatiently.

"Look…I know you're holding out on me – you and Tony and Bill – and whatever it is I'm gonna find out eventually but right now…I'm taking five minutes with her. Bill's been with her all day…Tony's with her now…hell, even _Chase _has seen more of her than me. I get five minutes." His voice changed suddenly, as if daring Jack to try and stop him.

"She can't be upset right now."

"Christ Jack, I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to jump down her throat when she can barely hold herself up so either let me in now or…"

Jack didn't look like he going to budge.

"I just…" the animosity disappeared and he inclined his head down towards Jack's ear.

"I just wanna see her, Jack." He spoke softly. Jack's jaw shifted but he nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

Tony looked up at the door when it opened.

"Hey."

"Hey…" Rick glanced at the bed holding Alex and Michelle, his heart clenching a little.

"How's she doin'?"

"I think the pills are helping." Michelle told him breathily.

He moved around the bed warily, afraid of what he'd see, afraid of what they'd done to her and afraid he wouldn't be able to…He heard about Audrey, he saw Jack's face every time he thought about Audrey; she was barely functioning eighteen months after her release...

Alex would be okay. She had to be. He'd _trained_ Alex for this and he had to believe that he would be able to get her through it. Her eyes snapped open as soon as he leaned his arm against the bed, crouching beside it and watching her blotchy eyes focus on him.

"Hey Al…" he reached out a hand to touch her fingers. She tensed noticeably but didn't pull away, her gaze locked on him.

"Hi."

"How ya feeling?"

She yawned a little. "Been better."

He reached out tentatively to brush his thumb across her cheek.

"You look tired."

"So do you…" she gasped suddenly, her hand moving to her side and her brow creasing. Her eyes squinted shut as he jumped back to his feet, leaning over her as Michelle eased her back onto the mattress and a moan escaped Alex's lips.

"I'm okay." She choked out, eyes opening again as the pain subsided. "I'm…"

She exhaled softly but tensed again when he leaned over her, sliding a hand into her hair and lifting her face close to his, searching her carefully.

"You should go." She blurted out suddenly, watching his expression change.

"I mean I'm…I'll be okay. You look tired too." Her head had twisted in the direction of Tony's bed so she wasn't looking at him anymore. What he could see of her skin was covered with goose bumps. Feeling wounded he pulled away, running his hand down her arm one more time.

"Yeah…whatever you want."

On his way out the door he called softly to Tony:

"Get her an extra blanket, will you? She's freezing."

* * *

The airport was busy. It was just before seven the next morning and they'd already checked in for their flight. Security had been a breeze as a result of their lack of luggage; Jack had somehow retrieved her 'Lexi Harrison' passport and now they simply had to wait for their flight to be called. Rick and Jack had disappeared to check to the gates for anyone suspicious looking but so far it seemed as if Cheng's people hadn't caught up to them.

Already Alex seemed better. She was walking (albeit slowly and very stiffly) and some of the color had returned to her cheeks. Her eyes were still puffy (she'd barely slept even curled up against Michelle) and her whole body still felt frozen but it was better than yesterday. The pain was manageable now.

Michelle sat across from her looking tired too. Alex felt bad. No one had slept much the previous night from the looks of it, but Michelle had been the one she'd whimpered against every time her eyes closed and the one she'd practically attacked when Michelle ran a hand unconsciously down her injured back and sent waves of pain through her. Alex had started out of her light sleep and pinned Michelle beneath her without any thoughts of pain or exhaustion and it wasn't until Tony actually _pulled her off_ that Alex realized what she had done. The adrenaline faded instantly and suddenly she was back in a ball on the other side of the bed, biting back tears and whispering about a thousand apologies as everything came back. In her dazed state she'd heard Tony and Michelle arguing quietly about the sleeping arrangements. In the end Michelle won because a few seconds later Alex was being eased back into her embrace while Michelle quietly soothed her shaking form and told her it was fine. She wasn't hurt, just startled. Or so she claimed.

Now Chase sat with Alex, fingers sliding through her hair occasionally. She felt more relaxed with him. She'd been so on edge the previous night and the fact of the matter was even in her exhausted state she still could have done a lot worse to Michelle had Tony not been there to stop her. Chase she couldn't hurt as easily – for one thing they weren't in a bed and for another Chase had about four inches and sixty pounds on her at this point.

"You look tired," he commented easily. "Sleep on the plane."

"I'm fine."

He snorted. "Whatever you say, Al."

Suddenly his fingers dropped to the back of her neck and she groaned a little as he manipulated her tense muscles gently. His caresses grew a little firmer as she loosened a bit and her head fell forward.

"You can sleep when we get back to the apartment then."

"It's too cold to sleep." She shuddered as his thumb dug into the back of her shoulder.

"Well if you _really _want me to come cuddle with you I think that can be arranged…" he teased, getting a soft laugh from her. She sighed contentedly and leaned back against him as he removed his hand.

"I told you you'd want to come back to London with me when this was all over…" he nudged her again. "But I'm afraid of getting my head ripped off so you might have to cover me when we tell him that…"

"Chase…" she warned softly.

"I'm kidding." He told her flatly. "You know I'm kidding. He's just been in a bad mood since you kicked him out of your room last night."

"How'd you - ?"

"I know everything."

She elbowed him gently, laughing again.

"He's not supposed to be here." She bit her lip hard. "He's not supposed to want to be here. He's supposed to hate me."

"Well I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that's not the case… It's pretty obvious he doesn't hate you, Al."

"He should."

"He doesn't."

"I can't go back home, Chase." She lowered her voice and hissed. "And he can't know why. He can't know what I did and he can't know why I can't go back so he can't still…"

Chase's brow creased.

"So what? You're just gonna let him think you left because you got freaked out about everything and didn't love him…"

"He can't be involved in this. None of you should be involved of this but him at least I can still…"

Chase shook his head.

"How about for a change you just let someone protect you?"

Her eyes flashed for the first time since they'd pulled her out and she stared him down for a second.

"You want to protect me Chase?"

"I want you to get better."

"Maybe I never will…" she snarled. "You can't fix me, Chase - "

The clearing of Tony's throat interrupted them and they both started. Alex flushed red at the look Tony was giving her.

"Hey…" he handed her a Styrofoam cup from the tray he was holding. "Thought you could use this."

"Thanks." She accepted it gratefully, taking a sip of the coffee and willing it to warm her from the inside out. Chase accepted his own with a grumbled thanks, but Tony hadn't taken his eyes off Alex.

"Plane starts boarding in twenty. Rick and Jack just finished their sweep. Looks clean."

"Thanks."

Tony glanced between them a final time and nodded.

"Yeah. Sure."

* * *

LONDON, ENGLAND

It was late when they finally arrived at Heathrow. Quickly they hailed two cabs and Chase gave the address to his apartment, Alex getting sandwiched between Bill and Jack in the backseat of one while he slid in beside the driver. He made a lame joke about being in the "blondie car" and Alex laughed a little, sitting too rigidly in the middle. On the plane she'd been seated between him and Bill and instead of sleeping she'd ending up talking to him quietly for most of the ride. He was glad she was talking, sounding significantly better with each passing hour. She laughed easier too and it sounded more like her when she did. There was less hoarseness to her voice and it was a light flit instead of a heavy cough of amusement.

Rick hadn't seemed too happy with the seating arrangements and Chase caught him staring at them more than once. He especially didn't look happy when Chase's hand had brushed some hair out of her eyes. In a way it was kind of amusing; he hadn't spent much time with Rick but enough to know that there was always another girl and whoever he was with was always replaceable. Seeing him getting miffed was a little entertaining.

But it was also only too clear who Alex was fighting to stop herself from reaching for every time he came within arm's length and who she wanted to be pressed up against in the cab right now. It was exhausting just watching her fight against every basic instinct she had to keep him from finding out what she was hiding and in a way Chase thought it might be easier to just clear the air completely. Tell Rick about the pregnancy and the confession and what had happened between them in London and then she could just see what would happen.

Chase missed the way Bill frowned when he reached back in the middle of the cab ride to squeeze Alex's knee, his face serious as he studied hers. Jack's look was hard to miss though. Chase had a feeling he would hear about this later.

* * *

They huddled together in the hallway of Chase's apartment as he stepped inside and flicked on the lights. They all moved slowly from exhaustion as Chase dropped his keys on the hall table and led the way to the living room. When Alex brushed past him to sit on the couch he caught her eyes, grinning a little and brushing his fingertips along her arm as she slumped down in a ball. She tired so easily now.

Rubbing the back of his head, Chase glanced around at the small space.

"Alright uh…" he bit his lip. "Angie's bed is good for you, right Al?"

Rick stared between them, the reasons for the easy familiarity starting to fall into place. So Alex had been in London before.

"Why don't uh…" he looked at Tony. "Why don't you guys take my bed?"

Tony nodded, stroking Michelle's hair and mumbling thanks. She needed a decent sleep.

"What about the rest of you?" Alex asked drowsily.

"We got sleeping bags and stuff. The couch pulls out. We'll figure it out…" He held out a hand to pull her to her feet.

"C'mon. I'll get you something to sleep in. You're going to bed."

No one said anything as Alex let Chase guide her out of the room.

* * *

Michelle was already in bed, curled up in a ball on her side and facing the wall. She shivered a little and sighed, cold from both the long plane ride and a lack of sleep. It was the first time he'd been alone with his wife since they'd pulled out Alex; the first time he'd really gotten a chance to hold her properly.

"Something's going on with Alex and Chase." He blurted out as he kicked off his jeans and tugged his sweatshirt over his head in one fluid motion. He heard Michelle sigh and shift a little beneath the sheets.

"She was in London for a while. Why can't they just be friends? Why does it have to be this big - ?"

"That's not how you look at your friends, Michelle." He growled half-heartedly, bending down to pull off his socks.

"She hasn't said anything to you?"

"No." Michelle breathed softly. "Nothing."

"Yeah well…I tried talking to Jack about it and he's not saying anything…"

"Just leave it, Tony. Now's not the time to worry about things like - "

"I worry about it when it starts compromising everybody here. If something happened and Rick finds out…that's the last thing we need right now. I'm trying to nip it in the bud. He's not an idiot."

"Tony…" she rolled around completely and reached out to cup his cheek. "Just let her be. She's exhausted, she's hurting, don't make problems for her right now, okay? I know what you're saying but the only person you're hurting if you dig any deeper into this is Alex. Right now no one's saying anything because everyone's just trying to keep her alive so until that changes…" she brushed her thumb over his skin. "Everyone's tired, just try and relax."

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. She was right. Pulling the covers over them he settled against Michelle, her back pressed to his front, and kissed the side of her neck.

"How're you doin'?"

She shrugged and he kissed her shoulder.

"I'm just tired. It'll be nice to sleep."

Nodding, he tightened his hold on her and found her mouth with his for a soft kiss, watching contentedly as Michelle dozed in his arms. He buried his face in her neck, willing himself to shut his eyes long enough to get a decent sleep.

* * *

Six inches of plaster and insulation between them, Alex bit on her lip, her whole body frozen again even beneath the warm duvet in the little pink room. She'd denied Bill's offer to stay with her at least until she fell asleep, not wanting him to see how bad it really was. He worried enough, he didn't need to worry she couldn't sleep at all because she was cold and scared and fighting every urge in her body to tiptoe across the hallway and into the living room, curl up in Rick's arms and beg him to make it all go away. Now, alone in the darkness, she could admit to herself that more than anything she just wanted him to hold her.

Alex, like Tony, spent the entire night willing herself to sleep…to no avail.


	6. Everlong

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ As always thank you for the reviews! They're sosososo appreciated. This chapter absolutely killed me to write – I feel like I've been working on it forever! Special thanks to Tooth Fairy for previewing some of the stuff in here and helping me keep my sanity. I hope you enjoy it! _

Chapter Five – Everlong

_I'm over my head, out of her head she sang_

_And I wonder_

_When I sing along with you_

_If everything could ever feel this real forever_

_If anything could ever be this good again_

_The only thing I'll ever ask of you_

_You've got to promise not to stop when I say when_

_**Everlong by Foo Fighters**_

_It was raining, as usual, but Alex wasn't complaining. She kind of liked the rain and two months filled with it hadn't done much to change that. It was drizzly and a little cool and she tugged her jacket more tightly around herself. To her right strolled Chase, his face angled slightly upwards and his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. He'd been quiet that afternoon. Jack had announced they'd been given the go ahead for the mission. Two days. She'd be gone for good in two days. _

_"So this is it," he blurted out finally. _

_Alex tilted her head in his direction. _

_"Guess so." _

_"Just be careful. Jack tends to pull some crazy stunts that usually only work out well for him." _

_Alex laughed softly so Chase shrugged a little. "And I'd like to get you back in one piece."_

_Her stomach twisted at his suggestion and she touched his arm, stopping them. _

"_We don't have to do this whole drawn-out, sappy goodbye thing do we?" _

_He snorted. "Why? Not a fan of Casablanca?" _

_She shoved him playfully, a grin forming on her lips. "Your knowledge of chick flicks is kind of disturbing." _

_Chase smirked a little to himself. "You're always on, aren't you?" _

_Alex froze to stare at him. "What? No…"_

"_**Yes**__…" he ran a hand down her back. "You were what…Twenty? Twenty-one when you went to Langley?" _

"_Nineteen," she breathed quietly, remembering to the smallest detail the first time she'd picked up a gun at the firing range in Langley and pulled the trigger; remembering her first night spent with Rick at that bar filled with recruits; remembering thinking about how happy she was to be there. _

_Chase's eyes widened slightly. "So you're a baby. Don't you get sick of being perfect sometimes? When I was twenty-one I did a lot of stupid shit. Everyone does. Except you." _

"_I am __**not **__perfect - "_

"_You say exactly what you're supposed to, you act exactly like you're supposed to and you never let anyone see anything that might make you seem anything but completely in control of the situation. You overanalyze everything…the first really impulsive thing you've ever done was probably signing the confession - "_

"_Yeah, 'cause you know me so damn well, Chase - !"_

"_It must be killing you…being inside your head all the time. Don't you ever just want to be able to let go? Be twenty-three and screw up something without worrying if it's going to get someone else killed? " _

_She felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her. _

"_I can let go." She insisted weakly. _

"_No you can't. You have to do everything yourself because you're afraid everyone else is gonna screw it up."_

_Alex glared at him but there was no real animosity behind it. _

"_When was the last time you let someone else take care of you?" _

_That was easy: whenever the last time she was in the field with Rick was. Rick was the only person she could ever admit to actually needing and not resent for it. Whether it was something as stupid as making sure her apartment was locked before they went to bed or something as critical as having her back when he was covering her in a firefight, it was like a weight being lifted off her shoulders. Him she could trust. She knew that. _

"_Alright, this is lame," Chase touched a hand to her elbow suddenly, turning her to face him and staring her down intensely. She shivered reflexively. _

"_I want you to come back," he cupped her face in his hands. "These things get pretty rough and I want you to know that you have something to come back to. That's what I was trying to say." _

_Her breath caught in her throat. _

_"As what Chase?" _

_He rubbed the back of his head casually and shrugged again. _

_"Friends." He answered definitely. "Or…maybe see what happens…" _

_"Chase…" _

_"Whatever. It was just a suggestion." _

"_You don't __**want me**__, Chase." She told him emphatically, her volume lowered…as if she could will him to feel the way he was supposed to with her words. Chase wasn't supposed to want her just like Rick wasn't supposed to want her. She hurt people and ruined lives. Michelle, Rick…her mom... No one was supposed to want her like that anymore. _

_"Maybe I do." He stared at her intensely for a few seconds. "Maybe I feel like I've been living like a zombie for the last two years and when you're here everything seems better."_

_Her eyes stung with angry tears that she managed to keep from clouding her vision at his admission. She hadn't banked on that – ever. She hadn't banked on him wanting her to stay with him. A vision of herself getting off an airplane, haggard but alive, and being met by him filled her mind. It still looked wrong, but maybe he was right. Maybe things were better with him than with nobody. Maybe she'd take his company over complete isolation, opting for companionship instead of loneliness. It would've been different but different didn't necessary have to be bad, right? She was twenty-three…if she survived this was she planning on staying alone for the rest of her life? Moving from city to city…having sex with anyone just to feel…human? _

_Alex's gasp was muffled when Chase pulled her mouth towards his, lips sealing around hers. It was a few seconds before she responded but her fingers tightened against his face and her lips parted slightly when his tongue pushed against them. She sighed when he pulled away, wondering what she'd expected. Just like before, his kiss didn't leave her trembling. It was a nice kiss but she didn't feel the same…__**pull. **_

_"No matter what happens you have something to come back to…so don't give up on yourself when you're out there. That's what I wanted to say." _

_Exhaling softly she managed a smile, wondering if she would ever find a way to not think about Rick every time someone else kissed her. _

_Alex started walking again, feeling Chase falling in step beside her. Lifting her eyes briefly to study his serious expression, she reached out to squeeze his fingers with the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. _

_"Thanks."_

* * *

"Morning." Alex walked into the kitchen. Slowly. Everything ached and there was nothing like fear or adrenaline keeping her going at this point. It just hurt like hell. Her poor muscles were stiff and inflamed after so many months; her head was pounding and her stomach felt like it was going to be violently ill if she didn't get something in it soon.

Chase was the only person in the kitchen and she glanced around wearily when he motioned her towards him.

"Toast?"

She nodded as he loaded the slices of bread and told her to sit down. She did, her eyes feeling puffy and her headache getting aggravated with each move she made. She couldn't have slept more than a few minutes and those minutes she did sleep were filled with the constant images of Cheng or Fong or someone laying into her and her curled up on her side trying to protect herself. The walls in Chase's apartment were thin and she sincerely hoped she hadn't started talking or screaming in her sleep.

"You feeling any better?" Chase asked wearily, sliding a plate and a mug in front of her. Worried eyes met her puffy ones and she knew he'd heard. All the guys had probably heard, and Tony and Michelle had definitely heard in that case.

"Sorry," she looked at her hands, embarrassed. Chase rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Al, everyone's pissed off at you. In fact, why don't you sleep outside tonight? You're cramping my style."

"Asshole." She snorted and Chase laughed softly, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"None of us really slept anyway. We were supposed to be taking turns doing sweeps of the complex but uh…it ended up being more like a group effort. Felt just like camping except we had guns and no one was talking to anyone else."

She laughed softly, a little color returning to her cheeks.

"You should try to nap later," he told her firmly. "During the day might not be so bad."

She sighed, vision blurring a little as he studied her warily. He broke away first, looking up behind her and quickly dropping his hand from her face. Alex spun around and saw Rick running his fingers through his bed mussed hair and frowning a little. He wore his damn USMC t-shirt that drew focus to his tanned skin and dark eyes and made him look good enough to eat. That startled her a little, the fact that she could still feel something like sexual attraction to someone. She hadn't expected that.

"Morning," Chase inclined his head casually. "There's coffee if you want."

"Thanks," Rick brushed him off, eyes still locked on Alex as he approached her carefully and her stomach twisted. God, she missed him. She missed him and he was standing a foot in front of her. He was right there, right there _clearly _willing to be exactly what she'd been wanting for the last ten months, and she couldn't have him. She had to make him think she didn't want him instead.

"You look like hell."

She brushed him off with a shrug. "I'm alright."

Rick bit his lip, chancing a glance at Chase. He wasn't used to having to share her.

"Yeah, fine. I'm gonna see if Jack's got any updates on Cheng tailing us." He poured coffee in a mug and disappeared without another word. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"This is killing you…"

"I'm fine."

"Maybe you should just tell him…"

"I said I'm fine, Chase." she snapped.

Chase shook his head firmly.

"You're not fine. Just tell him what you - "

"No," she winced when the stabbing pains in her head grew worse. "He's already angry at me and he doesn't need more reason to be. I just have to deal with this for a few more days."

"You really think he'd be angry at you if he knew why you…?"

"I don't know." Alex chewed on her bottom lip and blinked hard a few times. "It doesn't matter anyway. I left; it's not fair to him if I throw all these things in his face and expect him to…I just have to stick to the plan."

Chase conceded reluctantly, not agreeing with her logic. Her master plan was already a flop and it was painfully obvious to any observer how badly she wanted to abandon the entire thing. Lifting his shoulders slightly he rose from the table.

"Whatever you say, Al."

* * *

"Karen Hayes."

Bill exhaled at the purposeful clip of her voice. He missed her.

"Hi honey."

"Bill…" she softened immediately, relief flooding her at the endearment. "God, I was worried. When I didn't hear from you I thought - "

"I know, I'm sorry. It's been a long couple of days. How are things over there?"

"Not good, Bill. I still don't have anything. Every lead I call mysteriously disappears off the face of the Earth and Hammond's starting to ask about where you and Rick disappeared to. He questioned Claire…"

"What!?"

"It's fine, it's fine." She assured him. "He didn't do anything but put her in a Holding room and try to trip her up. I saw the tapes and I intervened quickly. We knew this could happen and that's why we made sure she didn't know anything."

Bill breathed. "You're in LA?"

"I was. I came back to DC to meet with a contact but he hasn't gotten back to me yet." She glanced around her office quickly, making sure she wouldn't be interrupted. Every morning since she'd come back to Washington she'd been checking for a wire tap, afraid it would give them away. So far there was nothing she could detect but that didn't ease Karen's mind any.

"I don't like you running around with these people, Karen. God only knows what they could - "

"I can handle myself, honey," she insisted. To say she wasn't a little anxious every time she tried to get in touch with a contact would have been a lie. People had been disappearing for months and it definitely occurred to Karen that she was lucky to have lasted this long unharmed…but Bill didn't need anything more to worry about and he didn't force the argument.

"Alex is with you?" Karen asked softly. Bill sighed.

"Yes. We're in London with Chase. She's resting now."

"How is she?"

"Better than we'd hoped. She needs sleep, food, more medical attention than we can give her right now. Some of the things they did…" Venom licked his words and his heart pounded at the thought.

"How's everything going?"

"Fine. Jack plans on keeping us here until we get the go ahead from you, but we can't hide away in London forever, Karen. You need to talk to the President again, proof or not. We might never get proof and I'm not abandoning her. We have to at least try."

"Alright, I will." She assured him calmly. "But…" she hesitated. "Bill I need you to do something for me."

"Alright…"

"Hammond's poking around and it's not helping me get anything. I need you to come back to LA."

"You outrank Brad Hammond," he said more harshly than he'd intended.

"He can still make things difficult. I need you to come back - "

"I'm not leaving her Karen! She's barely alive as it is…

"And she has enough people there to look after her. Tony and Michelle are off Hammond's radar now and so is Jack…you or Rick need to get back here. It looks too suspicious."

"Then Rick can go back." He snapped. Karen exhaled patiently.

"I know you're upset…"

"She doesn't need him here right now."

"I know you're angry…"

"I'm a lot more than angry."

"Bill…"

"She was pregnant! Before she left the States she…" Bill gulped hard. "He didn't even know she was pregnant. He doesn't need to be here - "

"_Yes he does_." Karen interrupted rationally, cutting off another outburst. Very rarely did Bill lose his temper, but he was particularly touchy when it came to the girls. She'd learned that early on in their relationship.

"The situation you are in right now could go south very quickly and if it does Rick can protect her better than you can. You know that as well as I do. Both CTU and Division need to be functioning at full capacity to draw attention away from the fact that one of you is gone and it will be a lot harder to do that with Rick here instead of you. I'd have to step in with Division and that would turn some heads. You need to be here, Bill. Alex needs you to be here and she needs Rick with her. He's done this before; between him and Jack and Tony, Alex will be safe."

Bill muttered something quietly and Karen sighed again.

"Do you really think he knew she was pregnant?"

"He should've known something was off."

"You didn't…"

"The situation's not exactly the same is it!?"

"Honey," she soothed. "Rick was not obligated to go with you but he did. If he really didn't care about her do you think he would have gone just for the thrill of the mission? He cares. You know that."

"That's not - "

"Alex signed the confession Bill. Alex went to her father, Alex coerced Tony into backing her up and Alex made the choice to sign the confession. She's not a child; he wasn't manipulating her. Alex knew what she was doing and _Alex_ accepted the consequences of her actions. Now you need to. Rick is not the person you should be blaming for what happened just because you need someone to be angry with."

Bill sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'll think about it Karen."

"Thank you. I'll talk to Wayne."

"Good…" he shut his eyes for an instant. "And be careful, please."

"You too…"

"Alright, I'll call you soon…I love you."

Karen smiled softly to herself.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Hey…" Tony slid onto the couch beside Alex who was mindlessly flipping channels. She decided on some old black and white movie that she'd never seen before turning to him.

"Michelle went back to bed?"

"Yeah," he rubbed her arm. "You should try and sleep a bit too."

She shook her head stubbornly, tugging the afghan more tightly around her body.

"Where are the others?" she probed after a few seconds of silence.

"Jack and Rick are going over some stuff…" he bit his lip, knowing exactly what Jack and Rick were going over. Rick had mentioned something about the escape of Mandy and the presence of a mole within the infrastructure and Jack's alarm bells went off.

"Chase went to grab some groceries and I think Bill's on the phone with LA. He talked to Karen earlier about trying again with Palmer."

Alex yawned and let her eyes fall shut to ease the stinging that had been plaguing her all day. Tony's arm slung around her shoulders and he pulled her against him. She sighed and pressed her face against his shirt. If she couldn't have Rick, Tony was a good substitute.

"I know you're freaking out, but ya gotta try and rest a little. You can't do anything when you're this exhausted…"

"I slept with Chase." She blurted out so suddenly she hadn't even known she was considering saying it. Tony didn't pull back but he tensed beneath her; tugging on her ponytail he found her apologetic eyes. His jaw shifted and he waited expectantly for her to continue.

"It was like a month after I…had the…" she glanced at the ground. "Y'know…and we went out drinking with some of the people he works with and I was depressed so I started drinking more and so did he and…and then some guy started hitting on me at the bar so Chase intervened and I kissed him and we went home."

Her cheeks flamed red and she buried her face into his arm.

"And then it was supposed to be like a one-off, y'know? And I thought it was and then…he told me to come back to London when the mission was done." She shrugged a little.

"And it doesn't seem like such a bad idea anymore."

Tony sighed, saying nothing. Really, there was nothing he could say. Who was he to judge Alex – or anyone for that matter – for what they did in a bout of depression? Or because they thought they had no other option? He was in no position to say a word.

"So what changed?"

"Hmm?"

"How come it doesn't seem like such a bad idea now?"

Alex laughed hollowly. "Being with Chase has gotta be better than being alone forever, right?"

Tony's brow creased. "And what if we can get through to Palmer and you can come home?"

"I dunno, Tony." She bit her lip. "I don't know if I can tell him what…what I did."

"What _we _did," he corrected. Alex smiled weakly.

"When you left he wasn't himself." Tony told her, his voice soft and plaintive. "He tried to pretend everything was fine but…"

"Meaning while he was off being upset I was sleeping with Chase," she cut him off with a growl. "Damnit, Tony, I can't think of one minute for the last ten months I haven't missed him. Chase was just something to take the edge off."

"And now you're staying in London with something to take the edge off when you could come back home," Tony retorted.

"There is a very good chance that won't happen – "

"Pretend."

She looked annoyed and he sighed, rubbing her leg.

"When Michelle left…" his voice was barely audible now and he had to incline he head towards her so she could hear. "I was with someone else."

She snorted, "I know." Tony rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"But as soon as she showed up at CTU that day it was like…it wasn't even an afterthought. I didn't want to go back to…I knew what I wanted, even if I wanted to be angry more. You know a big part of the reason Michelle left was because..."

Alex squinted her eyes shut. "You were screwed up and she thought she was making things worse."

"Yeah…" Tony clawed at the side of his cheek, eyes flitting briefly around the room. "And you and I both know if you told him what happened..."

Alex flinched a little. She knew what Tony was getting at: Rick, like Michelle, would love her if she let him. If he honestly believed she wanted him with her he would be there, no questions asked and no matter what she had done.

"Chase doesn't know when I'm upset." She said quietly, averting Tony's eyes. "He doesn't know if I'm sad or lonely or if I'm scared…he has no clue."

She pursed her lips together, willing him to understand. Tony was the last person she wanted judging her right now.

"So I can let him see whatever I want him to see and keep the rest to myself." She shrugged it off. "And if Chase decides he's sick of me one day and picks up and leaves I won't fall apart. He can't…break me like that because I don't give up anything to him."

Tony considered her words as his ran his fingers through her hair. Her neck craned against his shoulder so she could see his face.

"Yeah but uh…" his jaw kinked to one side. "Seems to me like that's kind of the point, isn't it?"

She raised her eyebrows and he leaned back a little on the couch.

"Yeah, sure you'll never get hurt your way but…" he bit back the prickling in the corner of his eyes, feeling like his entire romantic history was flashing before him. "But that's the risk you take because being like that…with them…it's worth it. Trust me," he throat was tight as he spoke. Alex clamped hard on her lip and didn't say anything, choosing instead to focus on the movie again.

* * *

Michelle sauntered into the living room shortly afterwards and slumped down beside them on the couch. Shuddering and pressing closer to Tony, she spoke.

"I'll sleep later. There's too much going through my head right now."

Alex sat up as Tony moved his arm around his wife.

"You guys finish the movie. I'm gonna go see what Bill's doing." She rose from the couch, stopping to tug on Tony's hair from behind until he could see her eyes.

"Not a word."

"Yeah, yeah."

Michelle frowned a little as she shifted more fully against Tony, arms curled around his waist and head pillowed against him. Even with the stress of the situation they were in, being in his arms relaxed her. She mewed contentedly as his chest rose and fell beneath her.

"What was that about?"

"Nothin'…" he nuzzled his face into her hair. "How you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she stretched up to press her mouth to his, flicking his bottom lip with her tongue and tugging gently with her teeth. He groaned out a warning.

"I don't think now's the best time to start that, Michelle."

She grinned a little mischievously and kissed him again, feeling him respond a little more insistently this time.

"Y'know we're not all as deviant as you are sweetheart. I'm not having sex with you on Chase's couch just so you can extort information out of me."

She giggled softly and pecked his lips, sighing and cuddling more snuggly against him.

"You were right, weren't you?" she queried casually after a moment.

" 'Bout what?" he yawned.

"Alex and Chase."

"What makes you say that?"

She shot him a surreptitious look and he sighed heavily.

"Trust me, I'm wishing I wasn't."

"It's bad?"

Tony winced and inclined his head ever-so slightly. Michelle pursed her lips together.

"It'll be fine. Rick's not unreasonable; they weren't together and he'll forgive her."

"You still think this is gonna work out?"

She laughed gently and it warmed him to the core.

"What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic."

Tony laughed too and secured his arms around her.

"He's gonna have a lot of things to forgive…from both of us."

"Tony…" she pressed her lips to his collar through his t-shirt. "Once Karen gets Palmer to exonerate her, Alex will tell him everything and they'll work through it and she'll come back to the States."

"Maybe Palmer won't - "

"_Yes_ he will," her words were filled with anguish. "He has to. Alex will get to come home when this whole thing is over."

He watched her eyes fill with moisture wiped away tear streaks when it spilled over. It was only too apparent what she was thinking about.

"You're right, you're right," he cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. "It'll be fine."

Now if only either of them really believed that.

* * *

"Almeida said there's a mole?" Chase stared at Jack who nodded gruffly. It was dusk and they were yet again scoping out the grounds. After talking to Rick about what had happened with that woman they couldn't be too careful. A mole inside DOD could have meant anything; it could've been a coincidence that the woman escaped mere weeks after Jack and Alex left for the mission, but Jack's gut told him no. Something didn't add up and the more he thought about it the more things seemed to click into place. Alex had been sent with him on the condition she never return to the United States but _if, _for one reason or another, she were to decide to break that condition Warrington and Hammond could be looking at serious jail time. All they needed was for one person to believe her story, one person Jack himself and Karen both had some influence with, and they were screwed. It was a huge risk to take.

"You think they've got something to do with Al?"

"I think they want her dead." Jack blurted out abruptly. Chase stared.

"How come?"

"The assassin who already tried to get Alex once mysteriously escapes from transport a few weeks after we move into China. I think someone didn't expect her to come out alive and now someone wants rid of her."

"You think it was Hammond?"

Jack sighed softly. "Could be. I'm trying to get more details, but Rick still doesn't know much…and he has no idea what the circumstances surrounding her leaving were - "

"Then what the hell are we gonna do, Jack!?" Chase blurted out, the panic evident in his words. "I mean she's barely functioning as it is…are we just gonna hang her out to dry?"

"Of course not - "

"We have to help her!"

"Don't you think I know that!?" Jack growled back in response.

"Well you don't seemed too concerned - !"

"Damnit, Chase!" Jack snapped abruptly and stopped walking. "I knew this would happen…"

"Knew what would happen?"

"That maybe if you could show a little self-restraint we wouldn't have problems where there didn't need to be any." Jack's glare would have been enough to make anyone cower, and early in his career Chase probably would've too. Not now though. He knew Jack too well – too personally – to be afraid of him like that.

"I'm worried about her," Jack exhaled. "And don't for one second think that I'm not. You're not being objective."

"Bullshit – !"

"Why _the hell_ would you tell her to come back to London?"

"What?"

"We have enough problems right now without you getting in the middle of everything."

"You asked for my help, Jack."

"I didn't ask you to sleep with her! It's just like before, Chase; you can't detach - !"

"This is nothing like…"

"Like what?" Jack's eyes flashed. Chase glared back at him.

"This is nothing like Kim! You have no say in what happens here - !"

Jack's hand flew to his throat and he shoved Chase back against the wall of one building.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about Kim..."

Chase shoved hard back but Jack retained his hold just as a voice interrupted them.

"Woah, woah…what's goin' on guys?"

Jack's head twisted slightly to meet Rick's furrowed brow. Jack released Chase quickly.

"We're fine. I'm going to see if Bill's got anything new."

"It's getting late. I guess we should head in too…" Chase started to move but Rick's hand collided with his shoulder firmly, pushing him back against the wall.

"In a minute…what were you talking about?"

"Kim…what else…" Chase shrugged it off. Rick studied his face carefully but Chase remained neutral.

"So what's nothing like Kim?"

"What…? It wasn't anything. Jack was just being Jack." Chase tried to move again. "C'mon…"

Rick grabbed his arm, slamming him against the wall this time with enough force to make Chase cringe.

"Something I should know?" He raised an eyebrow. Chase stared him down.

"Not that I can think of."

Chase tried a final time to move and Rick pinned him with one hand. Chase shrugged exasperatedly.

"What do you want me to say, Rick?"

"How about you just tell me what happened before so I can stop wondering why you keep looking at her like that."

Chase stared at him in feigned confusion. "Like what?"

Rick's eyes narrowed and Chase sighed. This definitely hadn't been the plan but Rick already knew something was up. Plus, Chase was starting to think it might be better this way. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see how much it was hurting her to keep pushing him away just so he wouldn't clue in…

"Fine," Chase's stomach churned a little. "Alex came to London with Jack for a few weeks before they left for China."

"And?" Rick cocked an eyebrow. Chase shrugged.

"And we hung out. Jack wasn't around much…"

"And something happened." Rick finished the sentence for himself, staring expectantly.

"What? Nah man, nothing…"

Chase bit his lip when he saw Rick's face. Clearly he wasn't buying it.

"And…we slept together. Once."

Rick's expression clouded with rage and Chase tensed reflexively. Rick started to speak but then pulled away, storming towards the apartment building.

* * *

The door to the apartment slammed shut. Alex's first instinct was to reach for a weapon, forgetting that someone trying to sneak up on them probably wouldn't have made such a commotion entering the premises. Bill's brow creased and he touched a hand to Alex's arm, hearing Rick yelling at Tony and asking for Alex. A few seconds later Rick stormed into the kitchen.

"You slept with Chase!" he roared, making Bill forget to worry about Alex for an instant and stare at her.

"You_ what_?"

Alex squinted her eyes shut tightly, biting back a retort and breathing deeply.

"Who told you?"

"He did."

She'd kill Chase. She'd absolutely kill him.

"Damnit, Alex! What the hell were you…?" he shook his head angrily. "You run away to go to London to screw around with Chase!"

"It just happened," she said stiffly.

"Like you jumping at the chance to take a mission with Jack just happened!? And you not even being able to stand being in the same room as me anymore just happened? Christ, Alex, what the hell is going on with you - !"

"Easy," Bill warned. Rick ignored him.

"Look at me…" he ordered, snatching her arm and stepping into her space .

"Back off," Bill's ordered.

"This wasn't about you." Alex hissed back at Rick, his face inches from the top of her head. She was staring at his neck. "I went on a mission because Jack asked me to. This was never about you; don't flatter yourself."

Rick stared at her incredulously and his grip tightened a little when she tried to pull away.

"Look at me!" he ordered, dragging her closer still. She fought to remain indignant. "You can't even look at me!" he snarled, "You don't think I know when you're lying to me, Al - !"

"You didn't know she was pregnant - !"

" – Bill!"

You could've heard a pin drop in the apartment. Chase was standing in the door to the hallway and Tony and Michelle were watching from the living room. Rick's hold had slackened and then dropped from her completely and Bill looked like he immediately regretted his outburst. Alex felt her throat thicken and the tears start to pool behind her eyes. Chase stared between them, looking like he wanted to intervene. In the back of her mind Alex knew Chase's concern was completely unwarranted; she'd been abused her entire childhood and she knew that look. Rick wouldn't hurt her no matter how angry he was. He didn't have it in him.

Those notions were overshadowed however by the compelling desire to throw up as she finally angled her head to see Rick's face. He was just staring at her blankly.

"W-what?" he cleared his throat and Alex squinted her eyes shut as if it would make her wake up from this nightmare.

"You were _what_?" he sounded a little choked up when he spoke, not angry. His words were scratchy and his face suggested he was in pain. Alex felt the weight drop in her stomach and exhaled softly.

"I found out after I left."

"Bill knew!"

"Jack had to tell the doctor about…" she winced. "About the procedure in case it affected my treatment - "

"The _procedure…_"

"Rick…"

"Right. I forgot; anything you have to do to prove you've got bigger balls than everyone else, right Al? That whatever was between us didn't get to you or affect you. Anything you had to do to prove you could pick up and leave and do _that _and not feel a thing - "

"You have no idea what that did to me!" her vision blurred and her voice lacked the fury she was trying to convey. She felt Bill's hand on her back and realized she was trembling. "You have no idea how that…"

"And yet you still went through with it. Just another step towards turning into a fucking robot…just like Jack. Is that what you want - ?"

"Fuck you." She snarled. "Until you do what I did you don't get to tell me what I was or wasn't feeling. You weren't there - "

"Yeah well, whose fault is that, Al?"

She clamped down on her lower lip, willing herself not to cry. She hated how easily he could make her cry.

After a few seconds of silence Rick backed up abruptly and turned on his heel.

"I need some air…"

No one dared breathe until the door of the apartment slammed shut behind him.


	7. Helena

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ Thanks again guys! Enjoy it! _

Chapter Six – Helena

_And what's the worst you take_

_From every heart you break _

_And like a blade you'll stain _

_Well I've been holding on tonight_

_**- Helena by My Chemical Romance**_

"Mr. President, Karen Hayes is here to see you. She says it's urgent."

Wayne Palmer's brow creased, wondering what Karen was doing back in Washington.

"Send her in," he informed his secretary. Two minutes later Karen clipped into his office dressed in a navy blue pant suit with her hair pulled off her face. He stood immediately and they clasped hands warmly.

"Karen…"

"Mr. President…"

"I thought you were in LA."

"I was. My flight landed a few hours ago. I needed to speak with you."

Wayne indicated for her to be seated on the sofa before he settled on the one across from her.

"How's Bill? Still dealing with family matters?"

"Yes…that's part of what I needed to talk to you about…" she took a deep breath. "If you remember, several months ago when I mentioned Bill's niece to you…"

Palmer's easy expression faded. "I remember what you were suggesting."

"Wayne…" she leaned closer and lowered her volume a little. "I've been trying to get proof for ten months and nothing. They just pulled her out of China a few days ago. She was captured by Cheng Zhi and they're on the run from him and she can't come back to the US - "

"And why isn't she in prison again?"

Karen pursed her lips together. "She cut a deal."

"She confessed, Karen. For all intents and purposes she confessed, no matter what the reason.

"And she left with Jack Bauer to run a covert operation against Cheng Zhi…" Karen interjected quickly. "_Sanctioned_ by Warrington…under the stipulation she could never return back to the US once it was completed."

"A covert operation against the Chinese? We barely survived the incident with them and Jack a few years ago…"

"I know…Alex was captured abroad. That's where Bill and Rick Almeida went…to pull her out - "

"Karen, what your saying is certainly worth investigating, but you know I can't implicate a Senior Senator without any proof… The most we could do would be to have Bill and Tony Almeida testify against Warrington and who knows whether that would hold up in court. You have nothing tangible."

Karen's eyes drooped a little and she exhaled.

"Wayne…" she inclined her head softly. "I know how difficult the fact that she signed the confession makes this, but surely the fact that Warrington authorized the operation and authorized having Alex go when he was the one _pressing _the charges…"

Palmer considered this. He definitely didn't like being kept out of the loop on these things. The implications of one of his senators authorizing an operation that could destroy any sort of positive ties with China was serious.

"If you can get me evidence of the covert operation and Bauer will verify your statement I'll see what I can do. Bill and Tony and anyone else who can will have to testify as well."

"That may be difficult…"

"I realize that Karen, but we're talking about implicating a senator that was just re-elected right before the new President takes office. We have to have something to tell people."

"I understand."

Karen rose out of her chair and started to leave.

"Karen, wait…" Wayne's tone softened a little.. "How is she?"

Karen smiled weakly. "Fine. As best as can be expected. Alex is strong. She'll pull through."

He managed a return smile. "Glad to hear it."

* * *

"Aly…come on, talk to me." Bill rapped lightly on the door that had been shut so forcefully it almost fell off his hinges. Rick had disappeared hours before and still hadn't returned. Chase and Jack had left to comb the area. They couldn't have one of them wandering the streets of London for too long in case Cheng or anyone was on the lookout. It was dark already and they might see Rick before he saw them.

Alex had barricaded herself inside Angie's bedroom minutes after Rick had stormed out. Bill had been trying to cajole her to talk to him, but she'd been ignoring him for the most part.

"Honey, I know you're upset but - "

"But nothing!" the door swung open again and Alex snapped. "You had _no right _to say that! It wasn't yours to tell!"

Bill hung his head a little. "I know, Aly. It just came out. I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fix this!" her eyes stung with angry tears. "He didn't do anything wrong and you're pissed off at him for no reason and…" she lowered her eyes too the ground and shook her head and breathed deeply. "Whatever. It's fine. It's not like…"

Bill touched her arm and Alex continued.

"It's not like I was hoping he'd forgive me or something…He'll just be more angry than he already was. It'll be fine."

"Aly…" he reached out to touch her hair. "Maybe you should just…"

"I can't go home!" she exclaimed as the tears threatened to fall. "What the hell am I supposed to say? Tell him I left to…and that I'm sorry and we can try and kiss and make up, only we'll have to do it in Timbuktu because _I can't go home_!?"

"Karen's working on it."

"Karen's been working on it since the day I left! Nothing's changed. Warrington covered his tracks and Palmer needs proof."

Bill cupped her cheek, his expression sad.

"It's better this way." She insisted through shaky words.

"If you told Rick what happened…if you told him _why _you…"

"That's not the point. I'll just…I'll let him be mad and _no one_ will say another word and this'll all be over in a few days. Jack and I will disappear and you guys can go home and everything will turn out like it was supposed to."

"I'm not leaving you here to fend for yourself, Alex!"

She squeezed his arm, the animosity leaving her voice. "You don't have a choice. This is just the way it has to - "

"Karen will convince Palmer to exonerate you…"

"You can't promise that - "

"I damn well can!" Bill blast angrily. "I don't care what you signed or what you did. You are twenty-four years old and I'm not leaving you here because of some bastard who…" he shook his head angrily.

Alex gulped hard. She wanted to believe him. She really did. She wanted to be optimistic, but staying realistic had been what kept her alive in China. Focusing on how Jack might never be able to pull her out and felling like she was all alone was what kept her focused. She had to stay focused.

So she gave Bill a quick hug and told him it would be fine. She was starting to get tired of having to hold it all together for everyone else. The reason she left the way she did in the first place was because she didn't want to have to contend with that. She didn't think she was strong enough to say goodbye to Bill and Claire and…and Rick and not break down completely and confess everything and undo what she was trying to do.

Just a few more days and this would all be over. One way or another.

* * *

Chase almost missed him as he brushed through the evening crowds. He couldn't quite place what it was that stood out, but before Chase knew it he was sitting side-by-side on a park bench next to Rick who, for all intents and purposes, probably wanted to beat the shit out of him.

Still he went, pushing thoughts of how ugly the confrontation might get to the back of his mind. He'd watched Alex's expression lock on Rick's retreating back and seen the wetness flood her eyes. Chase hated seeing her like that, (not that he'd ever particularly enjoyed seeing women cry, but with Alex he hated it more…probably because it took a lot to push her that far), and he felt the irrefutable desire to wipe that look off her face. At whatever cost to himself.

Plus, Chase may have been a little out of shape but he had no intention of being a pushover. Not to anyone and not ever.

"Hey…" he said quietly, careful not to startle Rick. Rick just snorted a little in acknowledgement. Chase didn't say anything else until the uncomfortable silence forced him to.

"I get you're pissed…"

Rick said nothing.

"But it killed her."

Rick's head craned back and he glared at Chase.

"Did she tell you that when you were screwing her?" his hands shook slightly and Chase tensed.

"It was a one time thing. She was upset. That's it."

"But you like her."

"In small doses." Chase's lips twitched, watching Rick's face harden.

"It was a joke, man."

Rick exhaled exaggeratedly, still sitting with his elbows on his knees.

"She's not what I expected when Jack said he was bringing someone along on this thing. We hung out when she was here and…yeah, I like her. It's hard not to like her when you get passed the whole tough-guy act. She's amazing." Chase tensed a little in anticipation. "I told her to come back to London when this was all over."

Rick's eyes flashed and Chase quickly continued.

"But you don't have to be a genius to figure out what she - "

"She left." Rick snarled. "I…" he bit his lip. "…And she left without a word."

"See that's what pisses me off…" Chase snapped back. "You're too busy feeling sorry for yourself to see what's really going on…"

"Well then why don't you enlighten me about what's going on Chase!?" Rick shouted, the sarcasm evident in his words. "Since after a couple months you seem to know better than anyone…"

Now Chase's eyes flashed. "I know she loved you… I know she spent every second of the entire time she was here missing you - "

"_She left_!" Rick repeated, as if everything Chase was saying could be proven untrue but that simple phrase. If she loved him and missed him and it hurt her so much why would she just up and leave like that? Even if she was freaking out about what he'd said that day she should've waited it out a bit longer instead of signing up to go to China with Jack.

"And I know that if you stopped feeling sorry for yourself long enough to pay attention to what was really going on you would realize that she wasn't running away from you…even if she was afraid of whatever was happening, _I know _Alex doesn't run away from something because she's scared. You're too busy paying attention to how I'm looking at her to see how she's looking at you."

Chase finished his tirade, breathing a little heavier. Rick's face had twisted unpleasantly as he stared back at him, feeling nauseous now.

"Start looking at this from all sides and you'll realize this isn't as black and white as you're making it seem."

Chase glanced through the drizzle and rose.

"But I'll do what I have to do to make sure this doesn't kill her this time…even if it means protecting her from you. So if you're planning on blaming her for everything and treating her like garbage, just go back to LA now…" Chase hesitated. "And if not you should come back…she…she's fighting like hell to try and convince herself she doesn't need you right now and I'm getting tired just watching it…

Chase clasped him firmly on the shoulder.

"Think about it."

* * *

Bill folded his arms as he watched the apartment door swing open and Rick step inside. He was a little damp from the rain and he ran his fingers through his hair. Bill watched wordlessly as he kicked off his shoes before approaching him.

Rick stiffened at the sight and his jaw shifted to one side.

"What's up, Bill?"

Bill's mouth tightened into a line, biting back a retort.

"I spoke to Karen. One of us needs to go back to LA. Hammond's starting to ask questions…"

"So what?"

"It's just not something we need right now…"

Rick glanced around the room, lowering his voice to an almost-whisper.

"I'm not leaving Bill," he said it softly, but there was a distinct note of finality in his words. Bill inclined his head in agreement.

"It's better I go anyway. I've got a better handle on dealing with the bureaucracy…"

"And I've got a better handle on using a machine gun." Rick retorted wryly, eliciting the smallest of smirks from Bill. Lifting his duffel bag from beside the door and slipping into his own shoes, Bill called for Alex.

She looked reluctant when she poked her head around the corner and her breath caught when she saw Rick had returned.

"What now?" she groaned. Rick's lips curved a little at the corners until she saw Bill holding a bag.

"Where are you going?"

He reached out a hand, motioning her towards them.

"Hammond needs one of us back in LA," Bill explained gently, knowing she would understand what he was really getting at. What little color was left in Alex's cheeks drained, but it was enough for Rick to pick up on. His brow creased. Alex didn't like Hammond but mention of him had never made her anything but indignant.

"So you're…" she glanced at Rick curiously. "You're staying?"

"Yeah…we thought it would be better. Unless you don't want me to."

Alex's eyes flitted towards Rick's but only for a brief second. Bill gaze had clouded with moisture and he engulfed her in a warm hug.

"Be careful, Aly."

"Okay…" she breathed softly against him. "You too…be careful…" her fingers brushed across his cheeks. "I'll be fine here…"

Bill sighed heavily and released her, his own gaze shifting towards Rick.

"I know you will be."

He adjusted his bag on his shoulder, patting Rick briefly on the back before stepping into the hall.

* * *

Rick's eyes finally met hers after a few minutes and he touched her arm. She tensed but didn't pull away, though her head dropped to the floor.

He leaned in close; too close. Close enough that she knew if she tilted her head a little his mouth would be half an inch from hers; close enough that she could feel his breath on her and the heat from his body and contrast the solidness of his form to her own shaking one.

"Talk?" he checked, eyes moving behind them and acknowledging whoever had walked into the kitchen. Alex didn't turn around to see who it was, she simply breathed _yeah _and let him lead her out the door.

Alex slumped down on the floor of the hallway with her eyes on her hands and her nerves getting the best of her. Rick didn't look at her as he did the same.

"I'm sorry," she told him softly. "I didn't know until I…" she paused a beat too long, holding back her slip of the tongue. "I didn't know until I left…" She finished decisively. He studied her expression carefully, not saying anything but having caught her flub.

"And then with Chase…" she gulped hard and squinted her eyes shut. "I…"

"And then you went and slept with Chase," his answering growl lacked something.

"It just…" she blinked back the wetness in her eyes. "I just needed something - "

"And while you were off with Chase where do you think I was, Alex? Did you think I was just going to forget about you?"

"Rick…"

"You don't think hearing that he…had you while I was sitting around - ?"

"_You_ have me, Rick! Since day one you've - "

"Then why did you _leave_!?" his head dropped slightly to catch her gaze. She blinked hard, feeling the bile rising in the back of her throat. She wanted to tell him. Oh god, she wanted to tell him. She could feel the words forming on her tongue and forced herself not to picture his reaction when he found out; forced herself not to dare wonder if she told him that maybe he could help make this go away and they could try and do this whole thing right. She could go home and they could try again…

"Even if you didn't want…me…" he swallowed the hurt in his voice. "Did you not think of what this would do to Bill? To _Claire_?"

She cringed. It hadn't been so hard to convince herself leaving Claire would be better in the end. She'd almost gotten Claire killed. At least if Alex was out of the picture Claire could be safe. The tension went to her chest and she felt the wave of emotion starting to rise into her throat. Her plan had worked flawlessly – he thought she didn't want him.

"Al…" his voice no longer sounded accusatory. It was soft and reassuring and all she'd been wanting to hear for the last ten months. She ached for the days her stomach had filled with warm butterflies when he curled against her first thing in the morning and nuzzled her awake, saying her name in that voice being breathed into the crook of her neck. She wondered what had ever possessed her to fault herself for enjoying those types of moments, as if they made her weak or something. Now she'd give anything to have them back.

"Al…" he sounded pained now and his fingertips glided over her arms. She looked away, masking a shudder at the contact.

"Al…just talk to me…" he half-pleaded. She used to tell him everything and now she couldn't even look at him. He used to know her like the back of his hand and now...

She sniffled in response and shook her head abruptly.

"It was the abortion," he cringed when she said the word out loud. "I just didn't want you to ever find out," she clipped, a note of finality in her voice. His head ducked to see her icy blue eyes shining with moisture and frustration rose within him. At least Chase had been good for one thing; Rick was supposed to be able to read her better than anybody and one look at her eyes told him she was still hiding something from him and Rick was going to find out what if it was the last thing he did.

"Damnit, Alex…what aren't you telling me - ?" he growled, hearing her breath catch in her throat as she finally turned to look at him…

The sound of Chase's apartment door opening caused them both to crane their necks around. Jack didn't even bother with his token quiet apology.

"You two need to get inside right now. We have a situation."

* * *

"What going on?" Rick felt the dread sink to the pit of his stomach. Everyone was crowded around the kitchen table. Michelle looked ghostly pale, Tony stood directly behind her with a furious look on his face and Chase was staring at his hands. Jack turned to Rick.

"When that woman escaped you said you suspected someone inside DOD was helping her?"

Rick stared at Jack, processing what he was suggesting.

"Yeah…no one else knew where she was being taken or would've had access to her transfer documentation. She was retrieved en route."

Jack swore quietly and fished out his cell phone.

"Claire just sent this to me. It was taken fifteen minutes ago at Heathrow."

"Claire -?"

"Claire's at CTU." Rick's breath was hot against Alex's skin and she might've shivered had she not been furious with everyone for withholding this from her, and wondering what the hell this was about a mole. A mole who'd let Mandy escape nonetheless…

A horrible thought overcame her when she glanced at Jack. Mandy showing up in London was too much of a coincidence…especially if someone at DOD was the reason she escaped in the first place. No one had thought to anticipate that Alex of all people would come back from the operation alive and someone got wind that she had…

Someone wanted her dead.

"What's wrong?" Rick's voice was rife with concern and his hand touched the small of her back.

She ignored the question, but instead of pushing he simply ran his hand down her back.

"Jack!" Tony suddenly yelled out, eyes on the road below. Jack immediately darted to the window and Rick followed staring at the street. Two men stood in front of the building dressed all in black.

"Shit…" Now Jack looked a little anxious. "Alright, grab whatever you can in the next two minutes. We're moving."

Everyone bolted out of the room. Alex grabbed the bag Michelle had packed for her at the hotel in Tokyo and threw in Rick's sweatshirt along with the few clean pairs of underwear, the sweats and two t-shirts she'd acquired. Throwing her bag over her shoulder she darted back into the living room. Accepting a handgun from Jack and tucking it into the back of her jeans.

"Go…I'll finish loading." God only knew where they would have to go to escape these people…whoever they were.

Rick emerged next, a bag slung over his shoulder. He accepted a rifle and a handgun and bent down to help her. A second later everyone else showed up and the weapons were passed around.

"We're ready?" Jack confirmed.

"Let's go."

Jack led the way, Michelle right behind him. Alex felt Tony brushing past her. His face was filled with anxiety and she nudged him gently as they pushed towards the stairs.

"Fifty-points if you hit her between the eyes," she snorted, getting the smallest of smirks from him.

"Nothing too crazy, y'hear me?" he mumbled quietly, eyes still on Michelle. Alex nodded, feeling Chase press against her back as they slipped through the door. Rick was the last one through and he held back a second to pull the fire alarm. There was commotion in the hallways as they all moved quickly down the stairwell ahead of the fray.

When they emerged on the ground floor of the apartment building, crowds of people were already starting to flood it. Chase latched onto Alex's arm, motioning for the rest of them to follow him to the fire exit and disappearing into the darkness of the courtyard behind the building.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted around them and everyone ducked for cover. Alex felt Chase shove her down behind a small fountain and his body fell over hers. Rick crouched down beside them, lifting his weapon to return fire through the darkness. All the lights had been shot out in the first three seconds. Jack was a few steps ahead of them and Tony had pushed Michelle into the alley between two buildings, his head poking around as he too fired back.

"How many!?" Alex called over the commotion.

"Four or five!" Jack called back. Alex curled her fingers around her rifle.

"I can't return fire!" she turned to Chase, expecting him to back off.

"They got it covered - !"

"Christ, Chase!" she shoved harder than she meant too, cocking her weapon; Chase landed on his butt as she squinted to see her first target in the dim moonlight. She adjusted the weight of the gun and her finger pulled back twice before Chase could blink, taking out the hostile and turning slightly to see any others. It was amazing how much more capable she felt after a few poor quality hours of sleep and some decent food. To her right she caught a glimpse of Rick and for those five seconds it felt just like before. Just like before when they were just friends and he was the one handing her extra magazines and telling her where to aim.

"Nine-o-clock…" he instructed and she spun left, her rounds hit the man who was halfway to the place Tony was hiding.

* * *

Between two of the buildings Tony had pressed Michelle back into one wall, shielding her from a bullet that had come dangerously close. When he heard the man nearest them drop to the ground he pulled away, scanning the area quickly. After a moment's hesitation he ordered Michelle to stay put as he ventured out slightly into the courtyard to cover Jack. Michelle had just been contemplating moving a little closer to the firefight to see if she had a vantage point over anyone when a dark figure slipped past the entrance at the far end of the alley and stared at Michelle. Michelle pressed back against the wall and aimed her weapon, prepared to return fire. Suddenly the figure started to bolt.

Tony was almost out of sight and definitely out of hearing range given the commotion and no one else was in the vicinity. Without a second thought Michelle darted after the figure and down one of the side streets surrounding Chase's complex.

* * *

"We're clear!" Rick called over his shoulder after he'd checked the far side of the courtyard. Alex rose shakily to her feet, slightly winded but otherwise unharmed. Chase held out arm that she rested against as Jack reappeared from the east side.

"Everyone okay?"

Tony ran out of the alley way a second later looking ghost white.

"I can't find Michelle…"

"What!?"

"She was right behind me and then I moved out to lay down the cover and…"

Alex reacted first, grappling for her weapon.

"Okay, okay…we'll just spread out. She was armed. We would've heard something if…"

"Chase check the front of the building with Alex. We'll cover the grounds," Jack ordered darting off in one direction. Rick was already sprinting in the opposite, the panic evident on his face. Tony's brow had started to accumulate some moisture and he cocked his weapon with shaky hands before moving as well.

* * *

Michelle peered around the corner, weapon at the ready, searching for whoever it was she'd seen at the entrance to the courtyard. The person had definitely been armed, but it was too dark to notice much from that distance except for their slender build. Had the distance between them been less Michelle had a feeling she would've been wounded if not dead. She'd had no cover while they'd had plenty…

Still, Michelle ran down the streets. If the rest of their attackers were dead this could be the only lead they had with regards to who wanted Alex eliminated. They had to find out who was behind this if they wanted any chance of getting Alex home. _Home_ home. Where she belonged.

In the background Michelle heard the commotion back at the apartment building of people woken from their slumber at the sound of the fire alarm. She hadn't realized how far she'd gone until she spared a quick glance over her shoulder to check her proximity. In front of her she heard the crunch of gravel and spun back around to find herself face to face with Mandy's ghostly pale eyes and icy skin, their weapons poised on each other.

"Hi Michelle…" Mandy breathed. "You should've just stayed with Tony instead of wandering the streets by yourself. I'm surprised at you; that wasn't a very smart thing to do."

Mandy leaned forward and Michelle rocked back on the ball of her foot in response.

"What do you want?" she demanded. Mandy sighed exasperatedly.

"You know what I want."

"Why?" Michelle demanded. Mandy sighed again.

"This is just like before, Michelle. I'm just doing the job I got paid to do. You don't have to get so touchy - "

"Who's paying you?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," she sing-songed. Michelle's glare hardened and Mandy's eyes rolled even in the darkness.

"It's not that complicated; Evans went on a little adventure to China that she wasn't supposed to come back from…and she did. That's where I come in."

"So it wasn't Cheng?"

Mandy shifted her hold on her weapon and Michelle tensed.

"We really don't have to make a big production out of this. Just back away slowly and pretend we never had this conversation and go back to your husband. Nice and clean. It'd be such a waste to kill you if I didn't have to…I'd probably have to kill Tony too…just to put him out of his misery."

Michelle flinched but didn't move.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who's paying you."

Mandy stiffened and Michelle ducked a split-second before Mandy pulled the trigger. The ground was hard on her knees and she rolled quickly towards her attacker, her own gun lost in the process. Michelle got to her feet again and Mandy fired another shot, but her aim went wide when Michelle's hand latched onto her arm. Michelle drove her knee hard into the woman's stomach until her grip slackened and Michelle was able to knock the weapon from her hand. Mandy's fist swung around to Michelle who grunted when it collided with her hand, but threw one more hard knee into Mandy's diaphragm and sent the other woman spiraling back long enough for her to turn around and retrieve her weapon. Mandy retained her balance quickly and dove for it too, but Michelle had a head start and pulled the trigger as she swung around to face her attacker. Mandy moaned in pain and dropped to her knees, blood pooling on the pavement. Her breaths were raspy and Michelle rose slowly from the ground, pushing sweaty hair out of her eyes. She checked her weapon and faced the other woman.

"Who sent you?" she growled low. Even bleeding on the ground Mandy looked at her smugly. Michelle's bullet had only passed through her hip and while she was in pain the shot wasn't lethal unless they decided to let her bleed out.

"Figure it out," Mandy's words were strained as she snapped back. Michelle glared at her impatiently, trying to decide her next course of action when she heard her name.

"Michelle!" It was Rick. He darted towards her, the relief plain on his face and stared at the scene before him.

His hand was on Michelle's arm as soon as she was within reach.

"You okay?" he breathed into her ear easily. Michelle nodded almost unnoticeably before turning back to the woman.

"Who sent you?" Michelle repeated.

Mandy's face was whiter than normal, but she still managed to be facetious.

"Y-you know…who sent me, Michelle. And you know…I'm not the only one th-they sent. Evans will be dead in a week," she could no longer keep the shakes out of her voice. Rick turned to Michelle in disbelief. Mandy's hollow laugh was stilted.

"You…never…know…w-who…you can trust…these days…huh, Rick?"

"Rick!" Alex sprinted around the corner as quickly as she could and made a beeline towards them. Mandy grinned.

"H-hand me a gun…and we'll just…put her out of her m-misery now…what do you think? - "

Alex was five feet away when Rick pulled the trigger of his handgun and Mandy slumped dead on the ground.

* * *

"What happened!?" Tony's face was pale with worry when he stumbled on them a minute later, still frozen in the middle of the street. His eyes glanced at the ground, watching Mandy's body pool in the blood from her bullet wounds and honing in on Michelle.

"Where the hell were you thinking!?" He snapped. Her eyes blinked shut a second longer than necessary before responding.

She exhaled softly. "She was coming around the far side of the complex and everyone else was distracted. She was going after - "

"Alex was fine where she was - !" Alex flinched at being brought into the conversation, shuddering to think how much worse things could have gone.

"It only takes one bullet, Tony - "

"I don't care! You don't just disappear without telling anyone - !"

"Alright, alright!" Rick intervened, holding up his hand. "Everyone's alive; body parts are in place…let's just call Jack. Some of those other guys might still be out here…"

He motioned for everyone to move closer to the side of one building just as he started speaking into the receiver.

Tony poked Alex in the side.

"Where's Chase?"

She bit her lip and lowered her eyes.

"I ditched him to cover more ground…"

"Chase is with Jack." Rick informed them quickly. "They're on their way."

"Did they see anyone else?" Michelle piped in. Rick shook his head, eyes flitting towards Alex. "Not yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't on their way…or already here."

Alex shivered and suddenly felt nauseous. Her legs started to shake and her vision grew fuzzy and she grappled for something to steady herself on, finding only Rick's warm hand as he settled her back against the wall and she slid to the ground in a daze.

* * *

She didn't black out, but her head was pounding and she felt jittery. Sprinting full speed around the complex probably wasn't the best idea she'd ever had, especially when she still wasn't keeping much down in the way of food.

Michelle settled down beside her, informing Alex that Jack and Chase had arrived and they were working out what to do next. Michelle looked a little shaky from the adrenaline too and both women sat close together, trying to calm down a bit.

"At least you kicked her ass…" Alex breathed softly, getting a soft laugh in response.

"What can I say…those are some good moves you have."

Alex laughed too and rolled her neck in a circle.

"You guys shouldn't be here. They're just going to keep coming back."

"We'll figure something out."

"I'm going to get someone killed…" she shook her head gruffly, her vision solid again, and started to rise. With Michelle right behind her, they approached the guys just as Chase darted back into the street without a word to anyone.

"What are we thinking?" she interrupted decisively. Every pair of eyes turned to face her, but no one said anything.

It was Jack who broke the silence.

"If people are being sent after you we need to lead them off your trail. You're in no condition to deal with this right now - "

She protested angrily. "You're not diverting them because I'm too slow - !"

"You cannot deal with this right now, Alex!" Jack snapped back. "I've got a friend who can give you a place to lay low for a while. Tony's going to take you there."

Her eyes lifted to Tony who nodded gruffly.

"What about - "

"Michelle will go with you." Jack informed her. Alex felt the anxiety start to pool in the pit of her stomach.

"But - "

"Chase will go with you too," Rick this time. Every pair of eyes turned to stare at him. Apparently that hadn't been the plan.

Jack observed him curiously for a second, but nodded.

"We'll stage it so they think you're with us while the rest of you escape."

"You can't - "

"This isn't up for negotiation." Jack insisted. "I'm going to find us another car. Chase went to get his …" he glanced around quickly. "Stay here and out of sight. I'll be back soon."

No one said anything for a few minutes until Alex finally turned to Tony.

"So where are we going?"

"You'll see. The less you know the better."

Alex nodded, bringing up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"You don't have to do this…" She insisted of Rick abruptly. "I can disappear with Jack and the rest of you guys can go home and I'll be fine…"

Headlights interrupted them; it was Chase. A moment later Jack appeared in another vehicle.

Rick motioned her towards the door of the car Jack had stolen as Chase and Jack switched.

"You have your passport?" he swung open the door and waited for Michelle to climb in.

"Rick you don't have to do this for me - "

Out of nowhere he pulled her close and forced her eyes to meet his. She inhaled sharply as he brushed his thumb across her cheek, all seriousness.

"Yeah I do - "

"Rick…"

"We're not done yet, alright?" she heard the slight falter in his voice and wondered whether he was referring to the conversation that had been interrupted early or something else.

Angry tears stung her eyes. He was going god only knew where with Jack to divert them from her while she ran away like a coward to hide. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. If anything happened…

"Hey…" he tilted her chin in his direction, a wry smirk forming on his lips. "It'll be fine. You just stay out of trouble."

She blinked hard and nodded reluctantly.

"Rick!" Jack called from behind them. "We have to go _now_." Rick turned around and nodded curtly before turning back to face her. He fought to keep the tightness he felt in his chest out of his eyes.

"I'll see ya in a few, Yankee."

His fingers squeezed the back of her neck gently in assurance before he pulled away. Someone pushed her into the backseat beside Michelle, but Alex wasn't paying attention as she watched Chase's car, now holding Jack and Rick, speed away into the night.


	8. You Found Me

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as always! I'm kinda nervous about this chapter actually…Anyway, I hope you all like it! _

Chapter Seven – You Found Me

_But in the end everyone ends up alone_

_Losing her, the only one who's ever known _

_Who I am, who I'm not and who I wanna be _

_No way to know how long she will be next to me_

_**- You Found Me by The Fray **_

"_Claireeeeeeee…" Alex called out a warning a split second before she poked her head inside her sister's room. Claire, who was already in bed, sat up blearily and groaned. _

_"Whaaaattttt?" _

_"Nothing…" Alex shrugged, pushing inside. "Thought I'd see if you needed me to kill anymore deadly insects…" _

_"You know I hate spiders!" Claire whined. Alex laughed and slid into bed beside her, snuggling up just be annoying. _

_"Alyyyyy…" Claire whined again. _

_"Maybe I'll just sleep with you tonight…" _

_"Ummm…no," Claire declared with feigned exasperation. "Just because you don't know how to sleep in a bed alone anymore doesn't mean you get to come invade mine - "_

_"What?" Alex bolted upright. "That's not even remotely true." _

_"Really?" Claire turned on her side. "Is that why you slept on the couch last night?" _

_"I passed out watching a movie…" _

_"Liar." _

_"I did!" _

_"And the night before that?' _

_"The night before that I was at work…" _

_"__**All night**__ when Uncle Bill got home before dinner?" _

_"I had paperwork to catch up on…" Alex bit her lip, cheeks coloring a little. She'd gotten barely anything done but hadn't liked the prospect of going home to an empty apartment. _

_Claire rolled her eyes and sat up on her elbows. _

_"Alright I'm curious then, when was the last time you slept by yourself?" _

_"Easy…" Alex declared, her voice filled with bravado. As she searched for her answer she realized she didn't have one. She couldn't remember the last occasion she'd slept in a bed by herself. What the hell was she doing? _

_"You can't remember, can you?" _

_Alex bit her lip hard and Claire laughed. _

_"Maybe…before you started your non-dating thing with Rick?" Claire suggested teasingly. _

_"Shut up. It can't have been that long…" _

_Claire grinned. "It has been. Trust me. Ashley's crashed here at least ten times in the last month because you haven't been home…and when you're not there he's here. Face facts, babycakes: you haven't slept alone for two months." _

_Silence filled the room as they both processed this for a moment. _

_"Damn it…" Alex jumped out of bed, determined to prove her sister wrong. She had to have missed having the space to sprawl out in unencumbered, right? Not having to feel bad about stealing all the blankets? Or kicking him? Or waking him up if she had to get out of bed in the middle of the right? She couldn't miss feeling his weight in the mattress…and hearing his gentle breathing resonating against her skin…and being completely surrounded by his warmth. She had to still be able to sleep alone. She had to still __**sleep better **__alone. _

_"Fine, Aly." Claire sighed exasperatedly. "Go be stubborn for the next half hour. Just don't wake me up when you're over it and decide to come cuddle in the middle of the night." _

_"Don't wake me up next time a killer spider tries to eat you." Alex grumbled back. Claire was still giggling as the door shut behind her sister._

* * *

LONDON, ENGLAND

"You placed the call?" Jack confirmed as he sped north down whatever road they were on. Thankfully Chase's car had GPS. Rick didn't know how familiar Jack was with the London highways but he certainly wouldn't have trusted himself with them. He hadn't found out what their exact destination was until the last possible second. Not that it mattered. They were just supposed to be the diversion to get everyone else – _read _Alex – out of the country safely.

"Yeah. If anyone's monitoring Bill's phone they'll know we're on the move."

"Good."

"It should work for now…but if this goes on any longer we'll have to come up with something better to convince them Alex is still with us. You're sure they'll be monitoring him?"

"He's the most obvious connection anyone has to where she is right now. That's why they all moved in as soon as he left alone."

Rick inclined his head in agreement, considering Jack's words.

"Now are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on here Jack?"

Jack took his eyes off the road to shoot Rick an unimpressed glance.

"Someone was hired to kill Alex."

"By _who?_"

"I don't know."

"I think you do." Rick snapped. "I think you know exactly who and why. I don't know how you can expect me to be here when nobody's telling me what the hell is going on - "

"But you _are _here," Jack countered. "Whatever reason you had for agreeing to this must've been good enough…"

Rick scowled. "What I really can't figure out is why you guys won't just tell me. I'm not trying to screw her over; I'm trying to help."

"You know as much as we do - "

"Those guys were _Americans_, Jack. How come I'm the only one who looked surprised by that? Someone hired US commandos to take her out and I want to know why."

"And as soon as anyone finds out why we'll let you know." Jack insisted. "Just because they hired Americans doesn't mean the people who sent them in were Americans. Someone wants her dead and we're trying to throw them off the trail. That's all you need to know."

"Fine." Rick wasn't done, but from the looks of it if he wanted any insight into what was going on and who those people were he was going to have to get it himself.

"No one's behind us?"

"No."

Jack's hands relaxed a little bit on the steering wheel and he nodded gruffly.

* * *

SANGALA, AFRICA

Tony wasn't a fan of the heat, especially in the middle of the afternoon. The dirt and grime from travel felt like it was being permanently baked into his skin and it made every movement seem that much more exhausting. Michelle rode in the truck beside him, her head was leaning back against the seat and he could tell she was sleeping even behind her sunglasses. He glanced briefly in the rearview mirror. Chase was conked out as well and had been for the better part of the car ride. Alex had her head tilted against the cooler glass and was staring aimlessly at the landscape that hadn't changed much since they left the airport. It was only too clear her thoughts were elsewhere. The most talking she'd done since leaving London had been with Chase, snapping at him for trying to shield her from fire in the courtyard. She blasted at him to never pull that shit again. They had been outnumbered and they needed every man they could get and she was a better shot than he was anyway. Chase had argued back about how someone had to protect her and she'd turned livid and shouted that no one was there to protect her in China and she did just fine. Alex hadn't spoken to anyone since, save Michelle who got a few minutes of conversation with her between connecting flights.

Tony was a little surprised he found himself sympathizing with Alex during the spat…considering a similar fight of his own was the reason Michelle had opted to lean a pillow against the window of the airplane to rest instead of cuddling into his warmth. The only time she didn't prefer to cuddle against him when she was trying to sleep was when they had argued. She was upset, undoubtedly, but then so was he…

"Tony?" Alex interrupted his thoughts softly.

"Mhm?"

"Nothing yet?"

"Not yet," he finished gently. He knew she knew that. She hadn't slept a wink since they got in the car and his phone definitely hadn't rung.

"They didn't tell you where they were going?"

"No…"

She sighed in response.

"He knows something's up."

"Jack will keep quiet."

"He still knows."

This time Tony sighed. After a minute again Alex spoke.

"How much longer?"

"You were one of those kids, weren't you?" he tried to lighten the mood. "The 'are we there yet' ones…"

Alex laughed lightly. "Only when I didn't have something to entertain me."

Tony grinned a little, the smile not quite touching his eyes.

"Were _you _one of those kids Tony?"

He chuckled softly. "You act like you're surprised."

She snickered and let her eyes close. "Not even a little bit." She paused a beat before speaking.

"So are we there yet?"

"Smart ass."

She laughed again and he was relieved. If he could only get her mind off what was going on for only a few minutes at a time he would take it. Alex always looked and sounded instantly better when she laughed.

"Wanna play I-Spy?" she taunted.

"I was always a fan of Twenty Questions," he rebutted.

"Fine. Is it a person?"

He snorted. "Give me some warning, Al."

"You _know_ you have an old standby."

Tony feigned annoyance and nodded.

"A guy?"

He grinned a little to himself. "Yes."

"Athlete?"

"Yeah."

"Cub?"

Tony scowled, but grumbled a yes.

"Ernie Banks." She declared proudly.

Tony reached back as he bit down on his lip, smacking her on the knee. Alex laughed quietly and rolled her eyes.

"You're just that predictable, Tony."

* * *

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Rick glanced around the foyer of the small Bed and Breakfast they'd pulled into the night before, a phone pressed to his ear. Jack had insisted they stop, wanting to see if the tail had caught up to them or not. The message he placed on Bill's phone would be discovered soon enough if it hadn't been already and whoever was after her would think Alex was with them. Even if they couldn't triangulate the location exactly, they'd have a vector to go on. And Mandy had insisted the attacks wouldn't stop with her. The words from her lips still sent chills down Rick's spine.

Someone was _after_ Alex and someone who wasn't Cheng. Mandy had been released right after Alex disappeared, not after Alex escaped from China. All signs pointed to one solution: whoever had gotten Mandy out of that transport vehicle had done it so Mandy could take out Alex. Whoever had the access to those transfer documents was the person they were looking for.

Which meant someone at DOD – someone high up in DOD – was helping the people who wanted Alex dead. Now the question was _why_…

* * *

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

"Claire Evans," Claire's chipper voice resonated.

"Hey Claire - "

" - One second, Uncle Bill," she declared into the receiver. "I'm just getting something to Eva. I'll call you back."

Claire snapped the phone shut, smiled brightly at Eva Jacobs and apologized softly as she found the location of the file she'd been looking up.

"I sent the softcopy to your system. It should be there by now. Melancon was arrested in West Virginia a year ago, but he got extradited back to Florida. They still haven't been able to find any traces of the people working with him though."

"He's still awaiting prosecution?"

"Yes."

Eva nodded thoughtfully. "Good job, Claire. Now I need you to compile any data we have on the cells he was working with."  
"Okay…" Claire looked up hopefully. "Since it's not really a time issue, would it be okay to do it after lunch? My friend's already waiting on me and I want to call my uncle back…" desperate times called for desperate measures. Eva immediately straightened up.

"Of course, hun. Go take your lunch."

Claire beamed back. "Thanks Eva. It won't take long when I get back."

"Sure…" Eva paused and then leaned in a little. "Hey hun um…you haven't heard anything about Rick have you. It's not like him to disappear for this long without getting in contact with Nadia. I'm getting a little worried."

Claire feigned surprise. "I know he was with Bill taking care of some things. I think there was a meeting in DC. It was an impromptu thing with all the Directors. Off-book probably. They're revising some protocols and stuff. I gotta think he's still there."

Eva blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes and huffed a little.

"You okay?" If Eva wanted to make nice Claire should really play along. Eva wanted a way of seeming buddy-buddy with the District Director's niece and Claire needed Eva to not ask questions right now.

Eva laughed a little and her cheeks tinged pink.

"Mhm…we've just…" she leaned in closer. "Well you can't tell your uncle, but we've kinda been dating for the last few weeks," she informed Claire delightedly. "It's hard for him to find time…you know how it is…"

It hadn't been hard for him to find time for Alex, Claire thought to herself, a wave of indignation flaring within her she managed to keep off her face. She liked Eva okay most of the time, but Claire always felt like she was too saccharine and it got on her nerves. Most everyone else she talked to agreed that it wasn't exactly the environment for the overfriendly, caring and concerned manager.

She hadn't known Rick was dating Eva though. That was new.

"And y'know…three date rule…" Eva continued, grinning mischievously. "I was kind of hoping we might…y'know…but he had to leave."

_Ew. _

"Everything else has been great though…he's a _really_ good kisser…"

_Ew. Ew. Ew_. Claire winced as Eva raised her eyebrows suggestively, unable to imagine circumstances under which she might possibly want to hear this.

"Mhm…He should be back soon."

Eva pouted, sensing Claire wasn't into the conversation. Rick was always nice to Claire though, so maybe she had a little crush on him. That was kind of cute. Claire was a doll; surely there was someone in IT closer to her age she could be set up with. Give Rick a little breathing room for when he did get back and things could finally heat up with her… Claire Evans was the last person she needed breathing down their neck about these kinds of things. One wrong word to Claire and Eva would be sent packing.

"Well…alright. You can take off now. Get me the file first thing when you get back, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

Eva was gone a second later and Claire exhaled. Rising, she slid her scrambled cell phone beneath the sleeve of her shirt and grabbed her purse, heading for the exit.

"Hey…"

"Hey…sorry, Eva was asking questions. She wants to know where you are since you broke your date."

She heard Rick swear on the other end of the phone. He'd completely forgotten about that and was certain at least a few of the two dozen messages he had were from her. With what was happening to them, a few dates with Eva seemed a million light years ago.

"What'd you say?"

"Said you probably had been at an off the books meeting with some people in DC. I played the my-uncle-is-your-boss'-boss'-boss card' so she left me alone. Bill called me. He's on his way back to LA. He was transferring at JFK."

"Alright…thanks…listen um - "

"You're _dating _her? _Why_? I mean she's okay I guess but like - "

"I'm not dating her, we went on a few dates. Now listen to me…I need you to do a little digging for me."

"What happened with that woman?"

"We got out thanks to you warning us. You did great, Claire. Now I need something else..."

"O-okay…" she gulped hard, wondering what in the world he could possibly need now. Her blood had run cold when she'd seen who had landed in Heathrow. She still vividly remembered the day she found out that woman had escaped.

"You need to find Chloe," he explained. "Bring her one of the laptops from IT. She can hack in and look at the archives."

Claire agreed, fighting the urge to frantically scribble everything he was telling her down. She couldn't leave any record of what she was doing, but she was afraid of screwing it up. She wondered if Alex ever had gotten afraid like that – afraid she'd make a mistake and it would mean life or death for someone…

"Tell Chloe I need to see if any report was filed the day Alex disappeared. It'll be heavily restricted and it might take her a while. It'll probably be archived at CTU and Division. Get her whatever she needs and tell Karen if you run into any more trouble - "

"The day Alex was…" the bile in the back of her throat thickened and Claire had to gulp hard.

"Alex…?"

"Yeah…" Rick rubbed his forehead, now was as good a time as any to tell her. "Can you do that for me - ?"

"Have you…" she gulped again. "Rick have you…do you know where she is…?"

He sighed heavily. "I was with her for the last three days. So was Bill."

"Oh my god…" Claire brought her hand to her eyes to try and quell her tears. "Oh my god, is she…?"

"She's okay. She's gonna be fine, but something's up with her and I'm trying to figure out what. That's why I need you to find those archives. Something's going on they're not telling me. That woman was hired to kill her for some reason."

"But you said…" Claire's skin went clammy. "But you said you thought it was a mole…right? No one else had access to the transfer documents - "

"Exactly. That's why I need you to look at those files, okay?"

"Yeah…" Claire rubbed her nose and wiped away her loose tears. "Yeah of course. I'll go to Chloe as soon as I'm done work."

"Thank you. Call me as soon as you - "

"Can I…" Claire squinted her eyes shut. "Can I talk to her?"

"We had to split up. I'll let you know when anything changes. She's with Tony right now, but we have to keep communication to a minimum."

"_Tony's_ with you?"

"Yeah. I gotta go Claire…" Rick had just glanced over his shoulder to see Jack coming down the stairs. "Call me when you find anything."

The phone snapped shut and Claire checked around her quickly before wiping her eyes a final time and heading to her car, thoughts of her sister flooding her brain.

* * *

SANGALA, AFRICA

"Hey Carl…" Tony jumped out of the truck, relieved they'd finally arrived. The sun had disappeared on the horizon long ago and they'd been on the road since early that morning. His back cracked and he groaned a little. He heard the other doors of the truck open as everyone else moved to join him.

Carl clasped his hand as he reached them. Tony had only met the man once or twice, but Jack insisted they would be safe here.

"Good to see you again, Tony."

"Yeah…you too…Thanks for doing this."

Carl smiled gently. "Of course."

Tony turned towards the rest of them.

"This is my wife Michelle," he indicated. Michelle smiled tiredly and shook Carl's hand.

"This is Chase. He was Jack's partner at CTU a few years back."

They too clasped hands as Tony turned to the fourth member of their party.

"And this is - "

" – Aly Evans…" Carl stared at Alex who stared back in bewilderment.

"I'm…" her blue eyes widened. "…What?"

"I'm sorry…" Carl rubbed his face apologetically. "Jack was here before. I don't know if he mentioned that to you."

Alex stiffened a little.

"No."

"Well…" Carl held out a hand and motioned them towards the building. "Come inside; we'll get you all cleaned up and fed. You must be tired."

Alex held back a little, watching everyone else start to move inside. Her eyes surveyed the area and noticed the soccer ball sitting in the middle of an empty field.

"Al…" Chase called for her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," her eyes landed on Carl's retreating back, still taken aback at what had just happened. Pushing the thoughts out of her head she went to join Chase.

* * *

Two hours later Tony grunted, flicking on the light and glancing around the tiny room. There was barely enough space for the two extra cots Carl had found and brought into the room for the four of them. He and Michelle would be squishing into a twin bed together, but it wasn't the end of the world. These last few nights they held each other tighter than usual, so the lack of space wasn't really noticeable. All he cared about was keeping her as close as possible. They were tempting fate being out here like this and already he'd come far too close far too many times to losing her. In a way it was ironic: the thing he probably loved about her the most was the thing that drove him the craziest. He wish she'd learn to put herself before everyone else…for once.

They hadn't said much to each other since leaving London. She still maintained she'd done exactly what needed to be done and he still maintained she should be staying with him…not running off to corner assassins and hoping it turned out for the best. But being upset didn't mean he wouldn't be cradling her against him when he finally had the luxury of doing so.

"Tony…" the soft flit of her voice startled him and he spun around.

"You haven't heard anything yet, have you?"

He lifted his eyes to meet hers, clawing at the side of his cheek and shaking his head ever so slightly.

"No," he answered abruptly. "How's she doin'?"

Michelle lifted her shoulders a little, tucking some matted hair off her face. The humidity wasn't helping the situation much.

"Okay…" Michelle stepped closer. "She's just waiting to hear I guess."

"Yeah, I know. When I find out anything she'll be the first to know."

"Alright…"

Michelle's big eyes angled towards his the second he started to look away. Tony frowned, hating when she looked at him like that. It made it hard to maintain his anger. And he was rightfully angry this time, that was for sure.

Ignoring her apologetic expression he spun around and heard her puff out an exhausted sigh.

"So, what? You're going to ignore me the rest of the trip now?"

He didn't answer, pretending to be absorbed in the titles of the books on a small shelf in the corner of the room. The sound of her gentle footsteps filled his ears as he felt her draw closer. His hand returned to his face as she touched his shoulder lightly.

"Sweetheart…"

His scowl firmly intact he tilted his head to twisted slightly to steal a glimpse of her face. Still apologetic, but not for what she did. Michelle never apologized for what she did, she only apologized for making him worry.

"Hey…" she pulled his hand away from his face.

"Tony, I'm sorry I disappeared like that but I took a chance. I didn't want to risk her escaping - "

"I told you to stay put," he growled. She sighed patiently.

"I know. But everyone else was distracted and I was afraid if we let that woman go…she'd show up when we weren't expecting it and that would be it. I want to help, Tony…and not just because Alex needed me to hold her up during a shower or rub cream on her back. I can do other things. God only knows what we're up against right now and we need every set of hands we can get. You have to let me help."

"Helping doesn't mean running off by yourself after someone like her, Michelle."

"Somebody had to do it and you were all busy and I was just standing there…"

"I don't care." He shook his head angrily. "You don't do that again, you hear me? For Christ'ssake you could be pregnant!"

Her eyes lowered to the ground to hide the moisture that had welled within them.

"I'm not. Don't worry."

Tony's right hand returned to his cheek while his left pulled her close.

"Michelle…"

"It might not happen, Tony," he heard the quaver in her voice and immediately felt bad for throwing that in her face

"After you miscarry the risk of it happening again goes up and it might not - "

"C'mere, c'mere…" he enclosed her tightly in his embrace and her head pressed against his collar. He still remembered the day four months into trying they'd gotten the positive test result. The doctor had confirmed it and then five days later…nothing. It was there and then it wasn't and Michelle had been devastated. She'd urged them to keep trying and he'd urged her to consider using the money they'd been left but she remained adamant against it.

Tony inhaled, breathing in the scent of her hair. It smelt like the shampoo in Chase's bathroom, but he could still smell Michelle underneath it all.

"I'm sorry; I'm an ass. You should know this by now."

She laughed meekly and he kissed the top of her head.

"When we get back we're going to figure this out, okay? You stop worrying."

She sighed a little.

"You'll love me even if I'm unfixable?" the teasing got lost in the tightness in her throat. He tugged her in for a slow kiss.

"I always love you, Michelle."

The sincerity in his words warmed her inside and she swiped her tears on the back of her hand.

"I love you too."

His arms enveloped her again and they both exhaled. It felt good just to hold her. Being constantly around everyone else made it feel like a rarity because it was always a little bit more censored than usual. To just be alone and hold her and take five seconds to just think about her and not what was going on around them at a mile a minute…that was what he craved more than anything.

They would just stay like that for a little while. Hopefully that would give him the energy he needed to pull through these next few days. Lifting his head long enough to glance through the window his brow creased slightly, seeing Alex hunched over her hands. He had a feeling it was going to be a rough few days.

Michelle shifted in arms but didn't pull away, choosing instead to snuggle closer and muffle a yawn against his chest. He rumbled a soft laugh against her and tightened the embrace.

Just a few minutes to get him through everything else, he decided.

* * *

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Claire was a little nervous as she stood on the doorstep of the small bungalow. Her palms were moist and she had sunk her teeth into her lower lip. She didn't know Chloe that well at all (she'd been leaving just as Claire finished up her training), but she did know she was temperamental. And Claire wasn't exactly in a position to order Chloe to shut up and do what she was told; Rick or Alex could get away with that. Tony could definitely get away with that…but Claire was nervous to tell a sleep-deprived first time mother (who happened to be Chloe O'Brian) she needed help.

A man appeared at the door with a bald head and a beard.

"Well hello, love…" he smiled gently. Claire fidgeted a little, knowing this must be Chloe's husband.

"Hi…um…M-Morris, right?" she clamped down on her lip and he studied her with amusement.

"And who are you?"

"Um…" Claire gulped a little. "I'm Claire…I'm from - "

" - Morris it's okay. She's from CTU."

Morris' brow creased a little as Chloe joined them, but he nodded.

"Well come on then," He motioned to Claire. "Come inside."

"Tea?" Morris suggested as the three of them clamored into the kitchen. Chloe shook her head and Claire offered a soft smile in his direction. Morris took the hint and disappeared, though it was apparent he was a little reluctant to do so.

Chloe slumped down on the couch looking tired.

"What do you want, Shorty?"

"Claire…" Claire corrected. One of the guys from Field Ops had started the nickname and it caught on quickly, much to her dismay.

"Whatever." Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'm on mat leave. I'm exhausted. Don't you have other people for this now."

"Um…" Claire blushed a little. "I need your help with something…off the record. Some stuff's been going down the last few days and I've been helping them…"

"Helping who?"

"Um…" Claire wiped her palms on the legs of her pants. "My uncle and Rick…he's with Tony, and Michelle too I'm pretty sure and…and I think Jack Bauer…"

Chloe straightened instantly.

"Well then spit it out. What's going on?"

"It's…It's Alex." Claire lowered her voice softly. "Something happened the day she disappeared and Rick needs to know what. I don't know where she was or what happened but she's with them now and…" Claire bit her lip. "And I think something's happening…inside the government. Something bad and I don't have the clearance and the firewall would take me forever to hack through - "

Chloe sighed exasperatedly, but her eyes had narrowed slightly in concern.

"So you need me to hack through it for you?"

"I need to uncover some archived files too. From the day she disappeared."

Chloe's face contorted unpleasantly.

"Morris, make the tea. We're gonna need it."

* * *

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Rick squinted when the sun hit his face, groaning a little. Sleeping on Chase's floor hadn't done much for his back and rolling around on the ground during the firefight had only aggravated it further. Glancing quickly to his right he noticed Jack's bed was already empty and he heard the water of the shower running. On the nightstand his phone jingled and he realized what it was that had woken him from his meager attempt at sleep.

Snatching it up he checked the display and flipped it open, casting a final glance in the direction of the bathroom before answering.

"Almeida."

"Hey…" Claire sounded tired, but alert. "Sorry…did I wake you?"

"Nah. What's up?"

"I'm still with Chloe. It's taking forever, but we finally found something. Did you know that all of the records with stuff implicating my dad were transferred to a completely different server? Chloe found the artifact."

"What?" Tony hadn't told him that.

"Yeah…that's weird, right? Chloe thought it was weird. So we hacked into the mainframe at District - "

"The files were kept at _District_?"

"Mhm. I don't know how the hell we got in but Chloe worked her magic. And then when we found the files…I mean you should've seen the kind of protection they had on this stuff. It took forever just to break through the firewall and _then…_"

Claire inhaled deeply.

"The only thing we found was the status report from CTU for the day and…it said my dad was _murdered_. Not that the building collapsed and _any_ of the debriefs that would have implicated him…they're all missing."

Rick's jaw dropped slightly as he tried to process was Claire was saying. Anything stating Ben Evans was a terrorist was missing in the file that was supposed archiving the events of that day…and the report said he'd been murdered. But…he couldn't have been. Not by one of their people anyway. Rick himself was the last person to see him alive and…

A sudden wave of dread overwhelmed him. Only two people could have signed off the status report that day before it filed and he was one of them.

"Who signed the status report?"

He heard her inhale sharply in response.

"It was um…Tony. Tony signed it."

_What the hell? _Tony was the one who had told him Ben had died in the building collapse. Tony wouldn't have…

"Look, we just got kicked off the mainframe because they're rebooting it or something…" she hesitated. "But at the last second Chloe found another file that was heavily encrypted. She thinks it might be my dad's autopsy report so we could see what the exact cause of death was listed as. She's trying to get back on now…I just wanted to give you an update."

"Alright…let me know if you find anything."

"Okay…" she bit her lip. "Rick, why would the file be archived at District? They weren't running any of the Ops that day were they?"

"No," his mind was already starting to wander at what that could possibly mean. "Look just focus on decrypting that file and we'll worry about District's involvement in this when that's done."

"Okay. I'll call you soon."

"Thanks Claire…I owe ya one."

Claire's voice thickened. "Just bring her back, okay? In one piece if you don't mind…"

Rick laughed tiredly before hanging up the phone, still trying to piece together what was going on.

_What the hell, Tony? _


	9. We Are Broken

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ So sorry for the delay in this chapter…it really wasn't supposed to take this long but life got in the way somehow. Thanks as always to everyone who reviewed. I hope you guys like this!_

_Also note…I swapped around two of the titles so this is what chapter 4 used to be called and chapter 4 is now something else entirely. Hope this doesn't confuse anyone!_

Chapter Eight – We Are Broken

'_Cause we are broken _

_What must we do to restore_

_Our innocence_

_And all the promise we adore_

_Give us life again_

'_Cause we just wanna be whole_

_- __**We Are Broken by Paramore**_

SANGALA, AFRICA

Alex leaned back on her hands on the porch steps, closing her eyes and feeling the sun warm her face. Muscles she didn't even know she had still ached with every movement she made, but that was a pain she had learned to ignore by now. The only source of discomfort at the moment was the fact that, despite the sweltering heat, she still felt chilled to the bone.

Tony hadn't heard from Rick or Jack yet and to say she wasn't thinking about it constantly would have been a gross understatement. Every time someone approached her she kept wondering if they were going to say they had news. News could be bad though, so maybe it was better they hadn't heard anything. The only news she thought she could stand at the moment was the news telling her they were both safe and unscathed and were on their way to meet up with the rest of them. That was the only thing she wanted to hear.

The sound of the side door opening caused Alex to start and spin around. Her brow creased when she came face to face with Carl. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the guy; he seemed nice and the kids at the school were sweet and well-behaved but…he knew her. Somehow he _knew _her, (or at least of her), and that made Alex uneasy.

"I'm sorry if I upset you yesterday," Carl began gently. He indicated to the patch of porch beside her, obviously asking to sit. Alex bit her lip, but nodded. This was Jack's friend. Jack would've only sent them here if it was a person he knew he could have trusted, and with one glaring exception, Jack's judgment of people was always spot on.

Besides, the 20 or so screaming boys darting around the field in front of them with a soccer ball made it unlikely this guy was up to no good. Alex was still wary though. She'd be wary for the rest of her life.

"They're good boys," Carl explained in his soft accent, seeing where her gaze was directed. Alex smiled a little.

"Orphans or abandoned, all of them. I was always fond of the idea of rehabilitating people. Giving them a second chance."

Alex continued to watch the boys run around the field, a slight knot forming in her chest she wasn't sure what to attribute to. They looked happy…they _looked _rehabilitated but would they ever be? Would they ever function like a normal kid who had a normal life or would they just _seem_ that way to everyone else. Would they just get better at hiding everything?

"They love having visitors," he added with a small laugh. "Especially women. They don't meet a lot of women unless they go into town and then it's only in passing…and they _are_ still boys," he smiled knowingly.

Alex licked her chapped lips, wondering where Michelle was at the moment. Michelle was the only person she wasn't wary of right now. She was the only person Alex could say anything or do anything in front of and not have to worry about what implications she might draw from it.

"Willie told me you look like an angel…"

At this Alex laughed hollowly. It was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever described her as, even if it was far from the truth. She looked anything but angelic covered in scrapes and bruises and in tattered jeans that were too big…she _was _anything but angelic.

"…But I think you look like your mother."

She froze as soon as he said it, a shiver running down her spine. Slowly she angled her head to face him, her jaw tight.

"What?"

"Your mother. You're the spitting image of her. But I'm sure you get that all the - "

"She's dead." Alex blurted out callously, wanting her explanation and wanting it now. "She died when I was sixteen."

Carl nodded softly, turning to meet her fiercely blue eyes.

"I knew her…your mother. Jack did too."

Alex's mouth dropped slightly.

"H…what? How?"

Carl's hand dipped into his pocket and Alex's muscles tensed in anticipation. She relaxed a little when he revealed a folded piece of paper. He handed it to her and her eyes welled with tears before she could contain them. She pressed her fingers to her lips and swallowed the bile in the back of her throat.

Carl glanced around them quickly to make sure they were still alone.

"Years ago…Jack and I were on an operation in Serbia with a small group of men. That's where I met him."

He paused for effect.

"Your father was one of them."

A puff of air escaped her throat and she squinted her eyes shut tightly.

"How long ago?"

She heard Carl sigh beside her.

"It'll have been about 20 years now."

Her eyes stung, even though she'd been expecting the response. That was it. That had been the mission her dad had disappeared on. The one that had made him...

The picture Carl had handed her showed eight men, all dressed in black and Kevlar. She saw Jack first looking easily twenty years younger, standing next to Carl. Behind them stood the tallest man in the group. His dark hair was cropped short and his face was serious but somehow he looked different in a way she couldn't remember having ever seen him look.

"Jack didn't tell me."

Carl nodded. "I know. He wasn't certain of it the first time he met you and then he disappeared again. And when you disappeared with him…" Carl inclined his head solemnly. "I don't think he wanted to burden you with anything else."

There was a pause.

"Alex, listen…I know this is a lot to take in but if there's anything you want to know… "

Alex breath caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do." Carl patted her on the back before disappearing back inside the house.

* * *

WASHINGTON D.C.

"And you have no idea who this person is?" Bill's worried voice resonated in her ear. Karen ran her tongue over the front of her teeth as her heels clipped purposefully against the stairs leading out of the White House.

"No. But that's not uncommon. He needs to retain is anonymity. Everyone else has been disappearing Bill. It took me forever just to get someone to give me this person to contact."

"What I'm worried about is _you_ disappearing, Karen. I wish you'd take someone else with you."

"I can't risk them getting spooked. We have to be careful. I have to make sure I'm not followed or…"

Bill inhaled sharply.

"God, Karen. Be careful."

"I will. I'll call you as soon as it's done."

* * *

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Jack Bauer knew something was wrong when he stepped outside onto the main road in front of the small bed and breakfast. He felt eyes bearing down on him and could tell he was being watched…and that they'd been found out.

He took a few minutes, trying to gauge where their tail was likely hiding. They couldn't keep doing this much longer – sending Alex away under the cloak of night while they worked to divert whoever was after them. Jack was certain these people were being sent by Hammond or Warrington. It was the only logical explanation. If it were Cheng he would want Alex back alive, not dead. And sending her on the mission had been a strategic move on Hammond's part. It got her out of the way. Throwing her in a prison cell would've meant she could still talk and between Karen and Bill and her father Alex had enough influence in Washington to get people to listen to her. Warrington couldn't take the chance of his political enemies seizing the opportunity to take him down. He needed Alex gone, not imprisoned.

Shifting his gaze subtly Jack tried to gauge the proximity of whoever was on them. Casually shooting another glance around the street he took a step to the right and dipped into the alleyway between the two buildings nearest him. Staying pressed up against the wall he moved towards the fire escape, pulling a handgun from behind his back a split second before he stepped up on one stair and yanked a man down to the ground, eyes glaring menacingly and weapon pointed.

"You and I are gonna have a little talk," Jack growled, grabbing the man by his collar and shoving him further into the dark.

* * *

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

"Here, hold him, will you…" Chloe deposited the six-month-old infant in Claire's lap. Claire looked a little bewildered but rebounded, pulling Chloe's son into the cradle of her arms and repositioning his bottle. Morris was out grabbing something to eat and Chloe was back at the computer. The encryption was advanced and even though she'd done some work on it while Claire went back to CTU she hadn't made much progress. Now it was late afternoon and they were at it again. Bill's flight had landed at LAX that morning and Nadia had given Claire the rest of the day off after she went to go pick him up. There were no active protocols and Claire had a suspicion Nadia knew something was up. Actually, she had a suspicion everyone knew something was up: Wiley had come down from Field Ops to ask Nadia if she'd heard from Rick, and on the way out of Tech 2 he'd cornered Claire too. Eva had probed Claire again to ask if she'd heard anything from Bill about when Rick would be back. She'd also mentioned something about setting Claire up with one of the new guys they'd just hired for IT, insisting how cute of a couple they would make. Right before Eva had suggested they double Claire had disappeared, cheeks flaming.

And now she cradled a baby in her arms while Chloe's face contorted unpleasantly as her fingers danced across the keys.

"You're nothing like your sister." Chloe declared abruptly, her eyes lifting long enough to see Claire tilt the bottle slightly to finish it off.

"Why? Because I let you boss me around?" Claire retorted, lifting the baby against her chest and rubbing his back.

Chloe ran her eyes over in observation, sighing exasperatedly.

"No. You're just…whatever, I get she's your sister. She just doesn't strike me as the type to offer to feed someone else's baby or something."

Claire pursed her lips, listening to the baby's soft burp, and considering what Chloe had said.

"Never mind…look, the decryption finished. Come see this."

Smiling at the little boy, Claire placed him back in his playpen and crossed the room towards Chloe as she scrolled through the decrypted file.

"Is it the autopsy report?"

Chloe's mouth dropped and she didn't say anything.

"Chloe?"

"Just…just read it yourself..." she ordered testily.

Claire came to lean over Chloe's shoulder, eyes narrowing as she read what was on the screen. She inhaled sharply and her fingers shook as she scrolled down further on the screen.

"Do we know who filed it?" She managed to keep her voice steady. Chloe nodded.

"Looks like it was Hammond…"

"And um…" Claire gulped. "Is there anything else?"

"Maybe. It's still decrypting." Chloe turned her head to study the young girl.

"You're okay, right?"

Claire cleared her throat, but nodded.

"I have to call Rick."

* * *

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Rick snatched his phone up from the bedside table, figuring it had to be Jack. After grabbing a quick bite to eat Jack had declared he was getting some air. That had been almost an hour ago and while Rick was pretty sure Jack could take care of himself, this wasn't the time for either of them to be up and disappearing without a word.

Glancing at the caller ID his pulse increased slightly when he realized who it was.

"Claire…" he breathed.

"We found something!" she declared immediately. "It's…I mean it can't be what I think it is because…it just doesn't make any sense…" she sounded panicked.

"What'd you find?"

"Um…okay well there was this archived file that was decrypting so it finished and apparently it's some report filed by Hammond but…" she hesitated. "It can't be what I think it is. You should probably just look at it yourself. Can I fax it to you or - "

"Um…" Rick rubbed his cheek. "Yeah the front desk should have one. Hang on - "

"Rick…" Jack's suddenly appeared in the doorway looking sweaty and his breathing slightly ragged. "Get your things; we're moving."

"What?" He tilted the phone away from his mouth. "Why? What the hell - ?"

"I'll explain in the car, but we have to go _now_."

Sensing the urgency Rick nodded and spoke into the phone again.

"Something came up. I'll call you as soon as I can."

He snapped the phone shut and immediately went for the small amount of belongings he had, watching Jack do the same and waiting for him to explain. When Jack said nothing Rick resided himself to getting the hell out of there before probing any further.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going now?" Rick groused as he swung his bag over his shoulder and followed Jack into the hallway.

"Sangala. That's where Tony took them. I just got some new information and we need to regroup."

"What kind of new information?"

"I talked to the tail they sent after us."

"You know who sent the tail?"

"No. But whoever it was knows she's not with us and they'll be checking travel logs, airport security cameras; anything to get a lead. That's why this guy didn't try to make a move on us when he realized we were alone; he wanted to see if we would give up her location. We have to get down there and try and figure this whole thing out."

Rick for one second didn't buy what Jack was telling him about not knowing who had sent Mandy, but he didn't care at this point. At this point all he wanted was to be wherever she was. Having thousands of miles between them in this situation hadn't sat well with him since the moment the group parted, and if nothing else at least he could be there to protect her from whatever they had to deal with now…

And Claire still had information for him. Disturbing information from the sounds of it. First chance he got he'd find a fax machine and get Claire to send him whatever it was she had. Then maybe everyone would start talking to him about what was really going on and Tony could explain what the hell he was doing signing off on a status report that had Ben Evans coming off as a victim.

Rick would get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing he did; he'd just have to be patient a little while longer.

* * *

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The parking garage was empty and Karen glanced around cautiously, wondering if she should've listened to Bill and brought someone along with her instead of opting to shove a small pistol in the waistband of her skirt. She hadn't been to a firing range in forever and hadn't been in the field in even longer. She didn't know how much she'd trust herself if she had to use a weapon.

Karen scanned what she could see of the surrounding area. There was no one in sight but that didn't mean anything. Her heels clipped purposefully against the concrete as she made her way to the elevator of the parking garage and pressed the button for the upper level. Her palms were clammy, her heart was pounding and she felt nauseous. This wasn't her forte, to say the least. Arguing with politicians – with the President himself sometimes – and spewing out facts to support her position was her forte, but not this. As the elevator doors opened and Karen stared into the blackness she found herself wondering what Alex was doing right now and recalling how sick with worry Bill had been over the last year. She remembered the look on Claire's face and her desire to spend numerous nights with them instead of alone in her apartment. These thoughts served to strengthen her resolve.

In the middle of her reverie Karen heard footsteps behind her and spun around, finding nothing. Her hand went to her skirt, feeling the cool metal of the pistol against her hot palms. She twitched, fighting the urge to run and hide behind the nearest pillar.

And then suddenly a hand wrapped around her mouth from behind, muting her yelp for them to unhand her. She struggled against them and they struggled back, pulling her to the back corner of the garage and away from the entrances.

"Karen…damnit! Ow!" he grunted when her elbow hit him in the ribs.

"Karen stop, it's me! It's Tom... I'll let you go if you promise not to - "

Karen ripped his hand away from her mouth and spun around in disbelief, staring at Tom Lennox. He looked apologetic and scuffed his feet on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tom? I'm supposed to be - "

"I know. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Karen scoffed, straightening the lapels of her suit.

"Tom a troop of Girl Scouts has a stronger grip than you. I'm fine. Why the hell did you follow me?"

"I didn't," Tom grumbled, looking mildly offended again. "I'm your contact."

"What?" Karen's eyes widened. "_You_?"

"Yes, Karen. How do you think I knew what you were doing? How do you think I got the message to you about this meeting?"

She frowned, remembering the small envelope placed on her keyboard that morning. It was a good point; the White House wasn't exactly a place for just anyone to walk in.

"And you've waited until now to tell me this?"

"You were being watched like a hawk. I wanted to make sure I had something solid before I brought you in on it. It's too risky when we don't know who's watching us."

"And do you?" she glared at him. "_Do you_ have something concrete?"

He lifted his head quickly to observe what was around them before digging into his pocket and clasping her hand. She felt the small object placed inside and identified it as a USB before shoving it in her own pocket.

"There's documents on there that talk about some of the…less than legal activities Warrington's been engaged in over the past twenty months. There's nothing that directly ties him to what happened to your niece though. Or any under the table dealings with Brad Hammond."

Karen frowned, biting her lip.

"Warrington's harmful to the President, Karen. I've been trying to get rid of him for years and when I heard what happened with…"

"But what's on here won't help Alex, will it Tom?"

"Not directly, no. Had she not signed the confession maybe, but as far as the United States Government is concerned she committed that murder, regardless of who she was reporting to at the time or what the circumstances were."

Karen nodded slowly, considering this.

"Listen…" Tom leaned in, lowering his voice. "There's an old outpost for Homeland outside of San Francisco and it was suggested to me there might be some more information there. I don't know what exactly or if it will be what you're looking for but…I figured it was worth a shot."

"Tom, why are you doing this?"

He shrugged a little, a smirk forming on his lips.

"You and I may not always agree but I want Warrington implicated in this almost as much as you do. If he did what you said he did…he deserves jail and it doesn't seem right to put him there until we wrap this whole thing up."

The sound of a car on one of the lower levels made them both jump.

"We should get out of here…" Tom touched her arm. "Whatever you do, be careful. I think Warrington's more dangerous than anybody realizes."

Karen barely had time to whisper her quiet thanks before he was gone.

* * *

SANGALA, AFRICA

Michelle smiled a little to herself when she felt the tiny mattress shift and a chilled body snuggle up to her side, blond head resting against her shoulder and arm slinging across her waist. It was the end of their third day in Sangala and she still felt drained. The only time she could relax a little bit was at night beside Tony's warmth. He eased her addled nerves better than anything.

"Hey…" she smoothed back some hair.

Alex sighed and closed her eyes. "Is this over yet?" she mumbled rhetorically. For a minute there was no sound except for their slow breathing, and then Alex's fingers brushed against Michelle's lower abdomen. Her blue eyes lifted expectantly to meet Michelle's dark, solemn ones.

"So why don't we have a mini-Almeida running around with untamable hair and a cheerful disposition?"

Michelle grinned "Which one am I?"

"Both. I'm praying to every higher power there is your genes are the dominant ones."

Michelle laughed lightly and nudged Alex a little.

"We tried," she explained quietly. "Nothing happened. There were a few days there where I thought I might be but…"

Alex's hand covered hers and she rubbed gently.

"Have you thought about…y'know…doctors and stuff?"

Michelle bit her lip. "We're…considering. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the time and the money and the hormones. I don't know if I want to go through that just to be disappointed."

Alex listened thoughtfully, not saying anything. Michelle shrugged.

"I'm just worried I waited too long…and maybe this is karma or something."

Alex shifted again.

"You don't have to worry about money. You know that."

"That's yours. You're getting that when you come back."

"Christ Michelle, what the hell am I gonna do with that money?"

"Whatever you want… buy a house; go back to school – "

"And even if I hadn't disappeared, had you told me the same thing you're telling me now…"

She trailed off when she saw Michelle's face.

"I know," Michelle insisted softly. "Maybe I…" she shrugged a little. "I don't know, maybe I just wasn't meant to do the mom-thing."

"Bullshit. If anyone was meant to do anything I wouldn't have sat in an abortion clinic for two hours watching a bunch of teenage girls go into a little back room scared out of their mind. If you want a baby you make it happen. And _you'll_ be a great mom."

Michelle sighed a little. "I don't know about that…" she sounded uneasy. "That's the other thing…what if I'm…y'know…bad at it?"

Alex snorted. "You're not bad at anything."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Have you tasted my cooking?"

Alex snickered, pulled away slightly and propped herself up on an arm.

"Alright, when you suggested I might be…that day at the gym…the first thing that crossed my mind was how annoying it would be not to be able to run a mile in under seven minutes; the second was how I couldn't stand giving up caffeine for the next x-number of months and the _third…_" she swallowed the thickness in her throat. "And the third was that it was my damn body and I didn't want something else invading it and telling me what I could or couldn't do. And that, yet again, if I were a guy this wouldn't be happening. If I got some girl pregnant I could still chase down bad guys and go out for a beer with the rest of them after work and be a field agent…not some pregnant person. People get pregnant all the time who don't deserve to be or would make a shitty mother and _you_ are not one of them. The fact that you even care enough to worry about that says you won't be one of them."

Alex finished her tirade, cheeks burning. Michelle pondered her words thoughtfully, sensing the change in the young woman's demeanor instantly.

"What's up?"

Alex shrugged a little and Michelle nudged her.

"Jack went on a mission with my dad apparently," she gulped. "It was the same mission he…when he came back he started…I'm just freaked out and it just kinda put me on edge I guess."

Michelle said nothing, so Alex continued.

"What if that's me?" she bit her lip. "What if I'm the person everybody thinks can handle it and can't…I mean everyone wants to believe they'll be able to push past this kind of thing…but what if I can't?"

"You can."

"You don't know that," Alex breathed. "Maybe I'm wired to…to crash and burn..."

"You're not."

"You can't know that, Michelle. I mean look at what happened in the hotel…"

"I was fine - "

"Because I barely had the strength to stand up and Tony was ten feet away. A few days of rest and I could've snapped your neck before you even knew anything was wrong."

Michelle rolled onto her side and her frown deepened.

"You're still planning to disappear with Jack…"

"I don't see any other options here - "

"Come _home_." Michelle told her emphatically. "That's an option."

"Not if Palmer doesn't come through."

"He will. And when he does you have to come home. We will work through this how ever you want to work through this but you need to come home. I did it and you can too."

"I'm not like you - "

"_You_ can work through this. I know you can."

Alex sniffled a little but Michelle saw no tears on her face. Slowly she nodded, not sure if she was doing so to placate her friend or not. If Palmer didn't exonerate or pardon her or something she wouldn't have to worry about any of it.

The commotion outside startled both of them upright and Tony poked his head in, the corners of his lips twitching slightly at the sight before him.

"Hey uh…can your girlie stuff wait?" he teased gently. Alex flipped him off with a feigned-scowl.

"What's up?"

"We got company."

Alex stared. "Really?"

"Yeah…just got here. With no permanent damage from the looks of it."

Alex leapt off the mattress, and darted towards the roadway, with Tony and Michelle right behind her.

* * *

She skidded to a halt when she found Carl at the trunk of an old, beat up sedan with Jack and Rick beside him. Rick lifted his eyes to meet hers but she couldn't quite place the look on his face. Alex frowned a little. He didn't look upset but he looked…off. Something was wrong.

"You guys are okay?" she asked noncommittally.

"Yeah..." Rick stepped behind her, touching a hand to her hip. He still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Claire, but that was the first thing on his list now that he saw Alex was in one piece. He'd have to ask their host, Carl, what he used to keep up with all the funding forms he must get for the school every year. He had to have a fax machine somewhere.

"Are you?"

"Yeah…" she bit her lip as his hand brushed against her jean-clad leg. She'd missed having him this close. Abruptly, he pulled away as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

"I'm throwing this inside." He declared, moving towards the sleeping quarters. He paused to see both Tony and Michelle on his way. Michelle got a warm hug, but Tony's greeting was a little...lacking, Alex noted. There was no indication of the gentle ribbing between the two brothers she was used to seeing, and that unnerved her.

The gentle clearing of a throat reminded Alex of who she was left standing with and she turned around.

"I need to talk to you," she informed Jack with a growl. With Rick gone her mind fixated on why she had the right to be angry. Jack inclined his head, indicating that he was listening and followed her towards the house.

* * *

"Hey…uh…" Rick caught up to Carl just as he ran up the stairs to the schoolhouse a second time. Tony and Michelle had gone inside and Chase had ducked his head out to say _hey_ before disappearing back to bed. Jack and Alex were nowhere to be seen and now was as good a time as any to get back in touch with Claire. Between the connecting flights and trying to find a mode of ground transportation he hadn't had an opportunity before now. Rick chewed his lip. The sooner he found out what was really going on the better.

"Listen uh…" He'd been introduced to the older man only minutes before when he had first stepped out of the car, but Carl listened with interest. "My office is supposed to be faxing over some paperwork to me. One of the guys I report to has been asking questions…you don't have a fax machine around here, do you?"

Carl observed him for a moment, but nodded.

"I do actually…" he shrugged casually, indicating for Rick to follow him. It was less than ten minutes before he was watching the paper slide through the tray of a fax machine and snatching it up to stare at the signatures he knew only two well at the bottom. As his eyes scanned over the blurred type white hot rage coursed through him and without a second thought he stormed off towards the inside of the residence without another word, the stark white pieces of paper still clenched tightly in his hand.

* * *

"What the hell is this!?" Rick roared, feeling more than hearing the blood pounding in his ears. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. What he had read. When Claire had told him she found something…not even in his worse nightmare could he have expected this…He couldn't have imagined Tony was capable of doing something like this to him. To _her_.

Tony tensed, turning to face his brother and trying to see what he was holding. Behind him Michelle observed the scene, her eyes flooding with worry. Before Tony could answer the door to the building swung open and Alex and Jack stepped inside. Chase came through the other room and poked his head in. Rick stormed across the room towards his brother, the fury apparent in every step he took.

"What the hell is this, Tony - !?"

"Rick…" Alex's voice stayed level but there was a distinct quiver to it. She took a stepped forward but Tony held out a hand to stop her. His jaw shifted to one side and he reached for the paper.

"Lemme see it…" he demanded, clawing at his opposite cheek with his left hand and observing the document with his right. He sighed when he realized the jig was up.

"It's a statement - "

"It's a confession!" Rick blasted, his hand shaking a little. Tony rubbed his brow and nodded slightly.

"Yeah…"

"Who's the witness?" Rick snarled, taking a step closer. Tony flinched, but said nothing.

"Rick, calm down…" It was Jack this time.

"_Who's the witness Tony!?_"

Tony's eyes lifted briefly in Alex's direction before turning to Rick's. The hand holding the paper dropped to his side in defeat.

"I am - "

The last thing Tony felt before slumping back against a bookshelf was his little brother's fist slamming into his jaw.


	10. 9 Crimes

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ Thanks so so so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I was really super nervous about it so…yeah : ) Thanks! I hope you guys like this one! _

Chapter Nine – 9 Crimes

_Leave me out with the waste _

_This is not what I do _

_It's the wrong kind of place _

_To be thinking of you _

_It's the wrong time _

_For somebody new _

_It's a small crime_

_And I got no excuse _

_**- 9 Crimes by Damien Rice **_

_Rick Almeida's eyes shifted from his hands to the person who had just slid into the booth beside him. Seeing who it was, he scowled and turned back to the glass in front of him. He'd taken about three sips in twenty minutes and hadn't tasted a drop of it. _

_Tony's hand moved into his line of site, grabbing the glass and taking the smallest of sips for himself. His face twisted in disgust and he dropped the glass back down on the table. _

_"Why are you drinking that shit?" _

_Rick shrugged because it was the only answer he could come up with in that moment._

_"Thought it might kill some time I guess." _

_Tony's brow creased and he dropped the glass on the tray of a passing waitress. "You'll thank me in the morning." _

_Rick just stared at his hands. _

_"How'd you know I was here?" _

_"Claire called Michelle. Said you were supposed to come back to CTU after your meeting with Division to sign off on some stuff. That was three hours ago. She was waiting around for you." _

_The emptiness he'd been feeling was replaced with heavy guilt. The idea of Claire waiting around for him to come back made him feel, if possible, even worse. _

_"She left now?" _

_"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "Bill stopped off to sign the stuff for her." _

_Fuck. Bill wasn't going to be happy about that._

_"She should've left it with the night shift." _

_"I think she was worried." _

_The fact that Hammond getting to him had kept Claire at CTU for an extra three hours made him feel like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. Hammond always got to him, why should Claire be paying for his problems? Claire, who'd been nothing but sweet and willing and as helpful as she possibly could be shouldn't have to put up with his crap. He'd have to make it up to her. Maybe flowers. Claire had always been buying flowers to keep around the house. He'd have to bring her some nice ones in the morning… orchids. She liked orchids. _

_"I was worried." Tony interrupted his reverie and Rick shrugged. _

_"Now you know what it feels like." _

_Tony sighed softly and placed a hand on his brother's back. _

_"If you wanted to get drunk and make an ass out of yourself you would've done it already. How long you been sittin' here anyway?" _

_"Fuck off."_

_"I know you miss her - "_

_"I'm sure you do," Rick snarled back. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"_

_Tony started to respond and Rick waved him off. _

_"Whatever, Tony. I get it. You can tell Michelle and Mom and everyone that you tried and failed…I'm a lost cause," he snarled with obvious exaggeration. _

_"That's not - "_

_"You did your thing, go home to your wife." _

_His brother's hand came to Rick's arm, but Rick shoved him off. _

_Tony sighed impatiently and rose from his seat. _

_"Fine. Do what you want," he grunted. Though as he moved to leave he squeezed his brother's shoulder firmly. It was a subtle gesture, but the point was made. Tony would be there if Rick changed his mind. _

_Rick lifted his eyes long enough to see Tony's retreating back push through the doors of the bar. Tony might have meant well but Rick didn't need words right now to snap him out of anything. He just wanted to sit and be depressed and miss her. _

_God, he really missed her._

* * *

Rick felt hands on his shoulders pulling him back quickly, watching Tony stumble back as his blood continued to boil.

"Rick, stop!" Alex ordered, yanking him back and moving her body between his and Tony's. Chase called out a warning that Alex ignored, shoving Rick back hard and staying firmly where she was.

"You almost killed her!" He snarled pushing against Alex, voice breaking slightly. "For ten goddamn months you watched me…what if she'd been…when we…How could you…"

"_I_ told him to!" Alex shoved Rick firmly back again, drawing his attention to her and making him very aware she was in no shape to be having to fend him off right now. Rick glared at Tony but stopped pushing, his face contorted painfully.

Alex's cool fingers touched his cheek and she forced him to look at her.

"Rick, _I told him to_." She insisted, a lump forming in the back of her own throat and her eyes starting to water when his gaze found her. "It was my idea."

Breathing heavily, Rick stepped away from her, running a hand over his brow. He hadn't meant to hit Tony that hard but he didn't regret it either. Tony deserved it.

Tony winced and his hand touched his face as he stood upright gingerly. His lip was bleeding from where his teeth had bit down and he had to blink a few times before he could see straight again.

"Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!" Rick demanded, shaking out the hand he'd used to land the punch. Shuffling her feet Alex took a step back towards Tony, the gesture more symbolic than she'd meant it to be. With a heavy sigh she lifted her eyes, vision clouded.

"I…" she gulped hard as the entire memory of that day – that hour – came flooding back. She'd fought tooth and nail against reliving it, thinking she'd never have to again. She never thought she'd get to see him again. Tears threatened to overwhelm her but she kept them at bay. Tony's breathing was still a little ragged behind her.

"After I left Medical with Wiley that day…I saw Hammond and he…he said they were ruling my dad's death as murder. Warrington was involved and he was choosing to ignore the fact that he killed a few hundred people already I guess…" Alex breathed slowly, eyes still on the floor.

"He said they had a witness that said…that saw you kill him…and they were charging you…"

"What…?" he gasped in disbelief, remembering the exact moment he'd pulled the trigger while staring down Ben Evans. The shot hadn't been lethal. At least, it wasn't supposed to be lethal. A wave of nausea washed over him as he recalled what was on the confession. His heart stopped for an instant as he stared.

"What did you do?" he took a step towards her angrily. "_What did you do, Alex_?"

Alex lifted her head, her eyes squinted shut as a few tears slid down her face. She wiped them away quickly.

"I told him I did it."

"_How_…" he growled. "How could you do that…?"

She spoke barely audibly, "I was trying to protect you. "

No one said a word as Rick stared at her in horror, shaking his head.

"And what about you?" he snapped at Tony. "You agreed to this?"

Tony rubbed his cheek, inclining his head softly.

"Yeah."

"Hammond needed a witness." Alex explained. "If I confessed he wouldn't have to go to trial so no one else had to be involved," her distinctiveness wavered.

"I didn't think you did it," she bit her lip. "I didn't want you to go to prison for something you wouldn't have even been involved with because of me, and he was willing to let me cut a deal."

"So you made me think you just…ran away. What was supposed to happen then? I just forget about you while you go and get your head blown off? Damnit, Alex, what the hell were you thinking?! Do you even realized what could've happ- !"

"_I was in love with you_!" she threw up her hands and yelled exasperatedly, almost sarcastically as she found her words and indignation again.

An eerie silence filled the room and her cheeks colored. She hadn't meant to say that or to say it like that. A few feet across from her Jack's eyes lowered to his feet and Alex's flush deepened. She didn't look at Rick, just took a deep breath and continued:

"I wasn't just watching you get arrested for something I didn't think you did. My dad was my problem and I was the one who deserved to have to face the consequences - "

"And what if I did do it!?"

Alex inhaled sharply.

"Did you?"

For the first time Rick's eyes found the floor and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I…I don't know. I…" he licked his lips, remembering every second of the minute he'd stepped into that building to the minute his arms finally closed around her. He remembered the taste of the smoke and the sound of people trampling towards the exits and the weight of the contrastingly cold trigger behind his finger…

"I saw him in the building and he came at me but…" Rick shook his head softly. "It wasn't supposed to kill him. And there were definitely no witnesses around. I didn't…I guess it could've but…"

Alex shut her eyes and shook her head.

"You wouldn't have even have been there if it wasn't for me. Either way…"

"I can't believe you did this."

"Now you know," she replied simply, finally acknowledging everyone else in the room with a brief glance before turning back to Rick.

"We're done here?"

Rick's mouth hung slightly agape but he didn't protest. Alex nodded curtly before pushing towards the exit and out into the darkness.

When she was gone, Jack looked to Rick expectantly. Rick had instead focused on Tony who had folded his arms as Michelle came to his side, reaching out a hand to touch his cheek delicately. Tony glared at Rick.

"You're gonna live?" Rick checked.

"I'll get you some ice…" Michelle volunteered.

"I don't need any ice," Tony snapped.

Rick scoffed. "You will if you want to make it through the rest of this thing with two eyes to see out of - "

"Just get the hell out of here!" Tony wasn't angry, just annoyed. "You had to push so you go fix this..."

"Tony - "

"Go!" Tony ordered.

* * *

Tony rolled his eyes when Jack appeared out of nowhere with a bag of ice in his hand. Behind him Chase was straightening up the bookshelf. He felt Michelle's soft skin against his uninjured cheek and was coerced into moving to sit down on the couch. He was seriously re-thinking his brilliant idea to show Rick how to throw a decent punch after watching his little brother get his ass handed to him during a little league game one summer. Apparently he'd unleashed an animal, because Rick could definitely hit…hard. One half of his face was swelling, his lip stung and he still felt a little shaken up from the blow.

Settling beside him on the couch, Michelle replaced his hand on the ice pack and sighed a little. Her unoccupied hand rubbed his thigh and she didn't say anything.

Tony lifted his visible eyebrow and sighed back.

"You think I deserve this."

"I didn't say that."

"C'mon Michelle…"

She bit her lip, eyes flitting briefly in Jack and Chase's direction.

"Tony, you would've killed him with your own bare hands and asked questions later if he did that to you," she breathed softly against his ear. At this Tony snorted a laugh. She was right about that.

Chase glanced around worriedly.

"Are you sure we should've…y'know…are you sure she's okay out there with just - "

"Yes." Michelle answered definitively first. Chase glanced at her warily, but Tony also nodded his agreement, feeling like he might've gotten even worse had Alex not stepped between them.

Chase rubbed the back of his head, obviously wanting to go after her but keeping his feet rooted firmly to the floor. After a few moments, Jack inclined his head softly and excused himself, not saying where he was going. Chase took the hint and left with him.

Michelle shifted again at Tony's side and he felt the icepack move.

"Y'know I can hold this thing up myself," he declared. It moved again and the coldness was replaced with a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

"You did deserve it," she declared, lacing her fingers through his.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I know."

His fingers moved to hold the pack to his face and her now free hand smoothed back some hair.

"Are you okay?" she put on her best "rife with sympathy" voice. As long as he knew he deserved it.

He smirked a little and nodded. She kissed him softly, a smile playing on her lips now.

"Good."

* * *

Alex's head fell forward in her hands, fingers in her hair. It was very dark already and she was pretty sure someone would be telling her to get inside in a few minutes. It was dangerous; Juma's men were everywhere and a lone woman sitting on the edge of the road would be an easy target. She probably should've grabbed herself a gun on the way out.

But she needed the air. This wasn't about her needing to be intentionally reckless; it was about just needing to breathe.

The gravel crunched behind her and Alex spun around her pulse quickening when she saw him. Without asking he slumped down beside her.

They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke.

"How's Tony?"

Rick shrugged. "Fine."

She licked her lips.

"And he deserved a hell of a lot more than he got."

Her eyes lifted slightly to meet his, her voice hoarse but certain.

"He just did what I asked, Rick."

"He almost got you _killed_!" Rick snarled back.

"That wasn't the plan…"

"It might as well have been!" suddenly he jumped from his reclined position and started pacing aimlessly, his hand against his brow. After a few seconds he stopped and started at her.

"For Christ'ssake Alex, if we hadn't gotten there when we did you could've been dead. Tony signed the statement _knowing_ you didn't do anything because you asked him to!?"

She just lowered her eyes to the ground, playing with some dirt near her fingertips.

"If you had…" he shook his head gruffly, eyes shining in the moonlight. His voice cracked. "He watched me go through hell for the last ten months because I thought you'd just…"

She knew how the sentence ended and her heart clenched. He thought she just didn't want to be with him.

"You didn't…I mean…how could you not…"

She reiterated softly. "I was trying to protect you…"

"I'm supposed to protect you!" he cut her off so abruptly she started. "I don't care what Hammond was planning on doing to me, it could've been worse than what _they_ did to you…"

She said nothing.

"And you were pregnant!"

Alex lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Tony didn't know that until I'd already left - "

"How could you not tell me you were…?" He broke off looking hurt. He rubbed his brow furiously and clenched his fists.

"I didn't find out until I'd sighed the confession…"

"But you knew enough to get a test."

"Yes."

"And then you just…"

She shook her head to stop him from saying the words, the tears catching her by surprise. No matter how long it had been, thinking about it still hurt more than anything. She couldn't even start to recall that day in the clinic with Jack without fighting a breakdown and it had been almost a year before. So much had happened and yet she still remembered every second of it so vividly. She still remembered the way she felt lying on the exam table and the feeling of…

She started crying harder, unable to contain herself anymore. She hadn't cried like this in forever and it'd been even longer since she did this in front of anyone. The last time would probably have been post-Michelle's funeral and she was drunk then. She'd bawled on Rick's shoulder then.

Suddenly he was right beside her and quietly shushed her, swallowing the lump in his own throat as he pulled her into his lap and cradled her against him. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other slid into her hair and smoothed it away from her wet cheeks. She cried hard and he felt her shaking against him, the restraint he held on his own emotions slipping a little as he tried to squeeze the shakes out of her.

"I'm so sorry…" she managed to get out. "I'm…I d-didn't know what I was d-doing when I f-found out and then…"

She started crying hard again.

"And I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I'd been given a choice." She blurted out suddenly, a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. For all those months she'd convinced herself she did it because she had to but in the back of her mind she knew the truth. She knew that being pregnant and a field agent wasn't an option and she didn't want a baby and they weren't even close to being in a secure, stable relationship. She couldn't honestly tell him that had the circumstances been better she wouldn't have done the same thing. Had she not actually experienced it she wouldn't have known how it felt like she'd killed a piece of her.

His lips found her forehead and then her eyes. By the time he'd kissed her nose she'd stopped crying.

"Forget about it…" he told her gently. She wished she could. She wished he could snap his fingers and make it all go away even if just for a little while. He stroked her hair gently, observing her silently now.

"When we got there if you…" he clamped down on his bottom lip, eyes stinging. "If you hadn't been…" one hand dropped from her and he rubbed his brow. "I don't even know what I would've done."

"It wasn't…" she gulped hard at the expression on his face. "It wasn't supposed to go down like this. I never thought I'd see you…And I'm…" she hiccupped. "I'm scared because Hammond wants me dead, and I'm tired of running and fighting everyone, and I just want it all to go away now…"

And suddenly the tears started flowing again. Rick looked on in horror as she struggled for words. He hated seeing her cry and she hated that she couldn't get herself under control. Her throat ached; her lungs burned and she felt as exhausted now as she had the day they'd pulled her out of the encampment. It was cathartic though and she only hoped she would feel better when it was done. She only hoped she would feel a little less dead inside when everything was out in the open.

"And then you were there and I…I wanted to tell you everything and I couldn't because I still thought I could…" she lowered her head, wiping her eyes gruffly.

"And I love you - "

His breath caught and he tilted his forehead, resting it against hers with his eyes shut tightly as he caressed her cheek.

"I uh…" he broke off. They were both surprised when the pads of her thumbs swiped across the dampness beneath his eyes. Rick Almeida didn't cry…ever.

"Yeah," he finished nonsensically. She felt his face in her hair as he gathered her close. After a minute he readjusted his grip and tightened his arms around her and she leaned back against his chest. The sobs had finally stopped a few remaining loose tears slipped down her cheeks. She felt tired now, drained and she could've fallen asleep on him right then and there. He inhaled softly and sighed, reveling in the feel of her curled against him.

With everything out in the open he wasn't sure how to feel anymore… He didn't want to let go of her though, that he knew for sure.

It was several minutes before either of them said a word. With the sun down it was surprisingly cold and he felt her shiver. He cuddled her closer silently cursing himself for not having enough common sense to grab a jacket on his way out. He felt the goose bumps appear on her skin when he dropped his mouth to her neck and suggested they head back inside. His arms squeezed her tightly a final time before she got up. They trudged slowly back up to the house, his hand in the small of her back as he guided her tired body inside.

* * *

Her cheeks colored a split second before they stepped inside again, realizing the whole world would get to see what a mess she'd become in those minutes out there with him. She felt his hand on her far hip, smoothing against her. He broke contact just as they pushed through the door, him leading the way.

She brushed her cheeks quickly, trying to obscure her puffy eyes from the stares of everyone who were trying to discretely observe them. Her blush deepened and she saw Chase first, looking bewildered.

"Hey guys…" she managed to inject some wryness into her voice. "What's goin' onnn?"

"Jack says we gotta get out of here," Tony explained from across the room, icepack still on his face. "There's a good chance they know where to look for you and if that's the case…we uh…we can't put everyone in danger here."

She nodded understandingly, hating the idea she could be putting a bunch of kids in danger as well as everyone else.

"We're leaving at dawn?" Rick interjected with a glance at Tony.

"Yeah…" Tony nodded. "We gotta go over some stuff though in case Juma's men are watching the road. Jack'll be back in a minute."

" 'kay…" Alex licked her chapped lips, feeling like every eye in the room was on her puffy face. She inclined her head towards the door.

"I'm just uh…gonna get some water..." she excused her self hurriedly, moving across the room without looking at anyone.

Rick watched every pair of eyes lift to stare at him. He sighed a little in exasperation.

"She's fine," he said simply. "It's fine, alright?" he looked directly at Tony who bit his lip.

"Get comfy; I think we're gonna be at this for a while."

* * *

By the time Alex returned everyone was seated around the small coffee table, staring at a map of Sangala. Tony had slumped down in the cushy wingback chair and Michelle had curled against him, her hand slowly manipulating the tension out of his neck. Chase was on the floor and Rick was sitting on the couch and slumped back against it. Jack stood at the end of the table, leaning over the map with a pen in his hand.

"Carl says Juma's men have checkpoints set up all along the main roads and that the best way to avoid them would be to take the car as far as we can and then go on by foot."

Alex winced a little anticipating the journey. That was going to be fun.

Jack suddenly stopped mid sentence and looked up to study her. A wave of concern crossed his face.

"You should be resting."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex grumbled, not really thinking as she slid onto the couch beside Rick who didn't bat an eyelash. "I'm not tossing and turning while you guys sit out here trying to figure out how to get us out of this. At least let me feel useful."

Jack conceded, apparently understanding where she was coming from. A glance at the clock on the wall said it was already past one in the morning and they were all feeling the jet lag. With the commotion of earlier time had flown, it seemed. Her eyes were burning and she struggled to focus on what was being pointed out on the map.

"Would Juma's guys really bother us though?" Chase intervened with a frown. "I mean I know we're American but it's not like we're a team of commandos…"

"You seen me with a gun lately, Chase?" Alex snorted, hearing a soft laugh come from her side.

"Besides," Tony insisted softly. "If there's any chance they might…I mean…"

"He means if they see Alex or Michelle and feel like having a little fun it'll become pretty apparent we're not just tourists." Rick growled. Michelle flinched at his words and Tony rubbed her leg gently and kissed her shoulder through her t-shirt. They would touch his wife over his dead body.

"The point is to not make problems where there don't need to be any. If we can avoid the check points we will," Jack explained rationally.

"Won't there be…" Michelle hesitated. "I mean it's not as simple as just hiking through some woods to get to the other side."

"No," Jack agreed. "There could be mines, booby traps, anything for people who are obviously trying to avoid getting stopped. We'll have to move slow and make sure we're prepared for any kind of an…"

Tony bit his lip and squeezed Michelle a little tighter against him. This was going to be a lot more dangerous than they'd been anticipating and it made him nauseous just thinking about it.

"Why didn't we get stopped on the way down?" Alex suddenly asked quietly. "I mean…we didn't get pulled over once and we were driving for a couple of hours to get here from the airport."

"We might not this time either, but Juma's men are moving." Jack explained. "Rick and I heard it when we landed. They're repositioning troops and grabbing more and more kids from their homes to try and build his army. We can't assume it'll be easy going."

"But we can risk someone stepping on a mine?" Chase growled, shooting a glance in Alex's direction. She sighed.

"We're picking the easiest route we can. Carl says the ground is pretty open…not a lot of coverage. If we take our time and do our due diligence we can minimize the chance of…"

Everyone's breath caught in their throat.

"The chance of one of us having to get blown to bits?" Chase checked. Jack's jaw clenched.

"That's always a possibility. You know that Chase. If I didn't think this way gave us the best chance of getting everyone out I wouldn't be taking it. We'd look too suspicious if we got pulled over and we don't have the ammo or the coverage if they ambush us in the middle of the road. We'd lose a firefight. We have to avoid that at all costs."

"What if we hid the girls and went in two groups?" Tony suggested, stroking Michelle's arm lightly. "Two of us driving around wouldn't be threatening. They might not make a big deal out of it and then we don't have to take a chance with the mines."

Jack seemed to consider this.

"We'd need a cover story."

"Photographers?" Michelle piped in. "Nature photographers? Something like that."

"That's one group."

"Can't another group just have been visiting Carl?" Rick interjected. "They know the school's here anyway."

Now Jack winced. He knew Juma's men considered the school a place to pick up more child soldiers and planned on moving in sooner than later. Carl had people paying attention to it for him, but Jack still felt guilty leaving all those boys and his friend to fend off Juma.

"We could," Jack agreed hoarsely.

Rick insisted rationally. "They're already a target Jack. It's a good excuse for us to be here and we're not giving away their position."

Jack nodded, knowing he was right. He would worry about Carl needing his help after the rest of them were out of Africa.

As the night wore on Alex hadn't perked up in the slightest. Her eyes were starting to droop as she listened to Jack continue to talk logistics. She should've been more attentive but the dramatics of the night had taken a lot out of her. Her eyes still stung from the crying she'd done and everything was out of focus. Without warning or making a production out of it Rick's arm curled around her waist and he angled her back against his chest, her cheek resting against his shoulder. The warmth of his body soothed her and she found herself letting her eyes close for a moment.

"Jack…" Rick interrupted softly when he was sure Alex was asleep. Jack lifted his head.

"We're all exhausted here. We need a few hours sleep before we move on this thing and it's almost three."

Jack exhaled softly, glancing in the direction of Tony. Michelle was awake, but just barely. Her jaw was resting against Tony's temple and she yawned a little.

"Michelle?" Jack checked.

"Mhmm?"

"You're up for this."

She nodded sleepily. "Whatever gives us the best chance of getting everyone out safely. I'll be fine."

"Al?" Chase glanced over. Rick shook his head softly, a small smirk on his lips.

"She's been out cold for twenty minutes. She'll be up for anything."

Jack nodded his agreement, the smallest of smirks appearing on his lips. Alex was always up for anything.

"Okay…" Jack nodded. "Let's get some sleep then."

* * *

Michelle kicked her jeans to the floor and unclipped her bra, tossing them both in a heap beside the small bed as Tony threw his own jeans into the mix. It was a little weird knowing that everyone was seeing her basically in her underwear but it was dark and it wasn't like anyone was really paying attention. Jack was busying himself with something in the corner and Chase had already conked out on one of the cots. Privacy was a luxury no one was really getting right now. Having everyone watch her and Tony touch constantly and cuddle and share a bed was a little strange too, but she'd gotten over that quicker. She needed him too much right now to care.

When Tony slid into the bed beside her she let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding. Tony wasted no time pulling her close.

"Where's Alex?"

"Still asleep. He's bringing her in in a bit."

"So…I mean…are they…"

"I dunno, Michelle," he cut her off softly. She sighed and snuggled closer.

"How's your eye?"

"Alright. I can see out of it so that's always a plus."

She laughed softly and kissed his mouth.

"I love you, Tony."

"Yeah honey, I love you too. This is gonna be fine, alright?"

She gulped and nodded. "I know, I just…"

"Michelle…" he interrupted her firmly. "Listen to me," his arm tightened around her waist and he brushed back some hair out of her eyes.

"It's gonna be fine. Okay? I promise. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

She sighed.

"It's not just me I'm worried about, Tony."

"Alex will be fine too," he insisted. Michelle shook her head.

"I wasn't talking about Alex either."

He bit his lip; she was talking about him.

"Tony, I'm not Alex and Chase is not Rick or Jack and if something happens when we're on the road…I don't know if…"

"We'll work it out. Trust me."

Her eyes showed her uncertainty and he kissed her again.

"Try and sleep, alright? You're exhausted."

She sighed again and pressed into his chest. A few minutes of him stroking her back and she fell into sleep.

* * *

Tony was still awake when Rick stepped through the door of the room, Alex curled in his arms. She looked tinier than ever as he watched Rick move towards the small cot and place her down gently. He bent down to stroke her hair and whisper softly something Tony couldn't hear before moving back towards the door.

"You're not sleepin'?" Tony checked. Rick turned, apparently unperturbed by the fact that he was still awake.

"You're not either." He reminded pointedly. Tony shrugged.

"You were the one who suggested sleep."

"Only because your wife was passing out in your lap," Rick teased softly. "I figured someone should be looking out for her."

Tony snorted a little and bit his lip.

"I'm worried this whole thing is gonna blow up in our face."

Rick nodded. "I know. Jack and I are gonna go over some more stuff right now."

"You want me in there?"

Rick shook his head.

"Stay with your wife, Tony. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Tony watched Rick start to leave before calling to his brother softly. Rick cocked his head and waited expectantly.

"You're okay, right?" his eyes shifted to Alex's bed. "You guys are good?"

Rick shrugged and shook his head.

"I can't believe she did that," he murmured in disbelief. "I'm not worth that..."

Tony shrugged a little as Michelle curled more tightly against him.

"Guess she thought you were."

"She is," Rick smiled a little to himself, his throat tightening as he glanced at her bed. "…Worth it, I mean. Always has been."

"You know she's planning on disappearing with Jack again when this thing is over. If Palmer doesn't exonerate her." Tony reminded him. "She told Michelle; she's afraid if she goes back she's gonna y'know…have a tough time with everything…"

"Yeah…" Rick nodded, not seeming surprised by this. "Yeah, that's Al."

"Then uh…" Tony shifted a little against the mattress. "Find a way to get her to stick around, will you? She keeps me on my toes; I like it."

Rick laughed softly.

"I'll work on it."

Tony smirked back. "Good…"

"See ya in a bit."

"Yeah…night."


	11. Worth Dying For

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ I'm really sorry this chapter took so long guys! I was in exams and everything just came up at once and I never found the time to write. I hope you enjoy it! _

Chapter Ten – Worth Dying For

_Now in the _

_White flames of burning flags we  _

_Found a world worth dying for, yeah _

_We've been battered so hard that we don't _

_Feel anymore_

_**- Worth Dying For by Rise Against **_

SANGALA, AFRICA

"Jack it's me, you copy?" Chase spoke into the two-way radio with a glance over his shoulder. Michelle had slid to the floor and was tugging the blanket over herself. Turning back to focus on the group of men ahead, Chase saw Tony's knuckles tighten on the steering wheel a little.

"I copy, what's up?"

"Fourth checkpoint is in use. We're getting pulled over."

"Roger that; let us know what happens."

"Good morning," Tony rolled down his window and stared at the soldier through his sunglasses.

"Morning."

The soldier flexed the fingers holding his rifle and glanced at Chase.

"Americans."

"Yeah," Tony nodded gruffly. "What's the problem?"

"Just routine. General Juma likes to know who's moving within his country. What's your business here?"

"Work. Photography," Tony explained helpfully, deciding a sarcastic remark about whose country it really was probably wouldn't do them any good. "We're doing a piece on the damage caused along the southwest coast caused by all the rain you guys had last fall. Observing the wildlife and stuff."

The soldier studied them curiously, eyes shifting to the backseat.

"General Juma does not like Americans, you see. I'm sure you know we've been having problems these last few months. There's an American funded school for boys a ways back. You wouldn't happen to have been there, would you?"

Tony shook his head casually. "Nope. Not a lot of people where we were."

The soldier frowned, still looking suspicious. Chase tensed reflexively as the man stepped closer. His eyes turned towards where Michelle lay hidden.

"What's in the back?"

"Equipment," Tony answered without missing a beat.

The soldier stepped back and moved towards the back door, reaching for the handle.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Tony snarled, throwing open the door open and starting to step out. A rifle immediately landed on him to keep him at bay.

Beneath a pile of blankets and bags on the floor of the backseat Michelle heard Tony's protests and the rifle lock. Her eyes squinted shut and she forced herself to take a deep, soundless breath.

"Open the back," The soldier ordered.

Tony's heart pounded in his throat but he managed to keep his voice neutral.

"Our equipment back there is really delicate. You can't just be - "

"Open the back," The soldier snarled. "Now."

Tony's eyes shifted briefly to Chase as Michelle shifted a little, fingers tightening around her pistol and preparing to make her move. It had to be timed perfectly. Too soon and she would reveal herself when it might not have been necessary, too late and she would be dead or worse. Her breath came a little faster as she heard the door open and felt two people move closer. Her back ached painfully from trying to meld to the shape of the floor but she didn't dare shift. The bag positioned on top of her thigh was moved and her whole body tensed in anticipation. A minute later the bag was dropped back and then whoever it was pulled away. Seconds later, she heard voices again.

"You may continue."

Even without seeing his face she could sense Tony rolling his eyes. Soon enough the door had been closed and she heard Tony climb back into the driver's seat. He started the ignition and grumbled a _thanks_ out the open window before accelerating smoothly away from the checkpoint.

"Stay down, Michelle…" the worry was apparent in his voice now. "I'll tell you when to move."

"'Kay. Is it ok - ?"

"I think so but we can't be too careful…Call Jack and let him know what happened. We got lucky, but they're definitely gonna have problems."

Michelle shivered a little despite the sweltering heat. She didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

"Jack, they were asking about the school as well. You're not gonna make it past the checkpoint without something happening, and they had at least two trucks and guys with machine guns. There's no way I'd risk that."

"Copy," Jack responded to Chase's alert and glanced at Rick whose jaw had clenched. They'd both known this was a possibility and had talked it over to exhaustion the night before when everyone else was asleep. If Tony and Chase had problems they had to take the chance on foot. Rick's hands tightened on the steering wheel and he glanced into the rearview mirror where Alex lay across the bench on her back. She looked worried.

"We're going on foot now?" she checked. They both heard Jack exhale and indicate to Rick.

"Pull over. We'll need to hide the car before we go anywhere."

"What about the mines?" the nervousness in Alex's voice was apparent to both men. Rick's brow creased.

"We'll take our time. It'll be fine."

Alex clamped down on her lip, willing herself to believe him.

* * *

The streets of the city were busy, but for that Tony was grateful. It made it easier for them to blend in. They still stood out. As dangerous as it would be for Alex, Rick and Jack to be walking through a potential minefield it was almost equally as dangerous to be waiting around the streets of Sangala. They were out of the territory Juma's men were said to cover, but that didn't mean the situation couldn't change for the worse very quickly. Juma's forces were moving; a lot could happen in the time it took the rest of their group to meet up with them.

Not once had either Michelle or Chase even asked about leaving for the airport without the rest of their party, though it was probably the safer option for the three of them. Sitting around an airport might make them more identifiable if anyone on Hammond's end was scanning the security footage to try and get a lead on where Alex was. For that reason they needed to spend as little time in the airport as possible. They felt more exposed as they were, but they were probably safer in the long run. At least they were armed here.

"How long do you think they'll be?"

Tony bit his lip. He didn't know.

"I wanna try and see if I can get a feel for any changes in Juma's patterns. You stay - "

"I'll do that, Tony." Chase declared after a moment. "I've got a British passport. They might be more willing to talk if I don't say I'm American."

Tony lifted an eyebrow.

"You sure?"

"Yeah…" Chase insisted. "I'm not going far. Stay by the car in case we get any word from Jack. Use the satellite phone if you need me."

As Chase disappeared down the street Michelle stepped into the crook of Tony's arm and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. His fingers pressed through her t-shirt and she sighed.

"Any idea what we'll do next?"

"It was Hammond," Tony blurted out suddenly. "Whosent uh…y'know…after us to get Alex and he's the one who orchestrated the escape from Transport. It had to be. They didn't know she'd been captured by the Chinese for like a month and then they just assumed she was dead with the rest of the team. When…" he bit his lip. "When Bill and Rick left so suddenly Hammond must've known something was up and followed the trail I guess. That's why we got ambushed in London. We can't keep running forever like this. That's why Jack and Rick came back. We've gotta do something to stop them or she'll be running like this forever."

"He hasn't talked to Bill yet? Or Karen?"

"No. He was trying to get in contact with them after we landed but he didn't get through. We'll have to try again after we figure out where the hell we're going?"

"Where else is there?"

Tony sighed. He had no idea.

"We'll work it out, alright? We're not there yet. Let's just get everyone to the airport in one piece and we'll worry about what next then."

Michelle looked uncertain but nodded as he squeezed his arm around her shoulders.

"Okay."

* * *

The transition from one wobbly rock to the next would've been a stretch for Alex on the best of days. Her legs weren't long enough to get there without jumping and she worried her lip between her teeth as she watched Rick go first with relative ease. Turning back to her and Jack he held out his hands for her to go next. Being the girl in a group of guys wasn't new to her, but she was usually at least as good as the guys she was with. Rick and Jack were a completely different story. It was easy to feel like a hindrance when one of the two of them was constantly checking to make sure you were able to keep up. Without six months of interrogation Alex would've had her work cut out for herself trying to keep up with the pair of them, but now it was a nightmare.

And still, Rick offering her himself to grab onto didn't make her feel like she was the stupid girl who was kidding herself trying to play with the big boys…like she'd felt back at Langley. No, all that really resonated was that he was doing it because obviously (even more obviously after the night before) he cared. He wasn't doing it because he was annoyed and trying to hurry her along, he was doing it because he cared.

His hands tightened around hers as he pulled her up to the next level of the rocks and released her to turn back to Jack, who almost made the jump with little effort.

"Carl said it would level out after the river. Then we just have to worry about the mines. This route was harder though. People are less likely to take it so it's less likely to have a lot of them. We just have to watch our step."

Rick's eyes found Alex's and he brushed his hand against hers as they started to move again, promising her wordlessly that it'd be fine. He'd make it fine.

What triggered it exactly she wasn't sure, but starting to move forward again startled something within her. Talk of booby traps and Juma's men made her realize she might not get another chance and she didn't want this left up in the air any longer than it had to be.

"Jack, I still need to talk to you," she called to his back. Rick shot her a curious look as Jack slowed to a stop and waited for her to catch up.

"You really think now is the best time - ?"

"Carl showed me the picture," she stated crisply, ignoring his comment.

Jack's face remained neutral.

"What picture?"

"Cut the crap, Jack, you know exactly what picture. The one of you and my dad and…in Serbia."

Jack saw Rick watching him with obvious disbelief and his jaw tightened.

"In four months you never thought to mention that?" Alex growled. "Never thought I might want to know something like that?"

"I didn't want to give you more to worry about at the time - "

"Bullshit," her voice was still at a normal pitch but her eyes blazed angrily at him. "What else aren't you telling me?"

"What do you mean?" Jack's expression changed slightly but Alex didn't seem to notice.

"I mean that you left him in Serbia to get tortured? That you left him to turn into whatever…" tears flooded her eyes and she cursed herself for being such a girl.

"I don't know what the hell happened over there, but I know when he left he didn't look at her the way he did when he came back!" her words caught in her throat and she gulped. Jack's face, however, had flooded with relief.

"So…what?" She gesticulated in exasperation. "Was rescuing me some sort of…way of making yourself feel better? Since you screwed over him?"

"It wasn't like that. He wasn't tortured and we didn't abandon him."

Alex made a face. "What else was there?"

Jack suddenly looked away and she stared at him, pressing closer.

"Jack…" she hissed under her breath. "What else could've possibly done that to him…"

"Serbia was a tough mission, Alex. We lost a lot of good men. All I meant was he didn't…we didn't leave him."

"You're _lying _to me!" she exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you what you want to hear."

"You have to tell me! I have to know - "

"It was a long time ago - "

"My mom is _dead _because of whatever happened to him over there, so if you know something…I deserve to know too!"

Jack's eyes deadened and Alex knew she wasn't getting anymore in that instant.

"I'm sorry. I've told you everything I can. The rest…" he bit his lip. "The rest died with your father."

She didn't believe him, but she let it be. She'd get to the bottom of it sooner or later. Of that she was certain.

* * *

They'd reached the edge of the trees and Jack halted them, peering into the clearing by another river. Jack inched forward, surveying the surroundings as Rick's hand pressed against Alex's abdomen and eased her back against him. His eyes darted around them quickly before he dropped his lips to her ear.

"You okay?" His hand brushed across her stomach as she nodded.

"I'm just tired. I can't keep up."

"We're almost there…"

"If something happens - "

"Between Jack and I we're uh…" his lips bumped her shoulder, not in a kiss but just as a means of connection. She shivered slightly, leaning back into him. Goddamnit, she'd missed having him this close. She'd missed having him this close every fucking night since she'd left and it had been leaving that had made her appreciate it. It had been leaving that made her realize that liking to cuddle up with him on the couch didn't make her anything less than what she was, and that maybe it wasn't the end of the world to not have an entire bed to yourself at night; that maybe she kind of loved sharing her space with him. Maybe she kind of always had.

He shifted impossibly closer and breathed against her neck.

"We'll have ya covered, alright?"

Her head angled towards him slightly and she managed a weak smile.

"Yeah, I know," she breathed.

"Everything looks clear. We have to move," Jack called hoarsely, eyes taking in the scene before them. Rick didn't release her right away, but he nodded, urging Alex forward.

* * *

Tony sat on the curb behind the truck in the relatively deserted street. The setting sun meant most of the locals had disappeared back to their homes and they were more exposed now. His eyes scanned everything constantly as if afraid what they might encounter.

There was also possibility the second round of assassins was on to them and would be looking for them. He'd had no word from Jack in several hours and for all he knew at least one of them had been blown up somewhere along the road. Tony cringed internally, remembering Jack's parting words. They were to linger around for a little while longer and then they had to move. They had to assume the worst and move on.

The problem was his brother was out there…his friends were out there…he didn't want to leave them unless he knew for sure. But knowing Jack, they would make it back before the deadline, even if they had to carry Alex the entire way.

He hadn't told Michelle about the time constraint. He didn't want to worry her or Chase. That was something they would deal with when the time came.

"There has to be something we can be doing right now," Michelle breathed softly. The sun setting low in the sky gave an almost ethereal glow to her creamy skin and dark curls and he breathed a little easier, like he always did when she was close by. She sat down beside him and leaned into him.

"The satellite phone's still working, right? We could update Bill. Maybe he has more information about what's going on back home…"

"And tell him Alex is off god-knows-where doing god-knows-what and we have no idea if she'll make it back in one piece?"

"Tony, we have no idea what's happening or where we're going to end up. We're going to have to contact them eventually."

"Not now. Bill doesn't need to worry more than he already is right now."

"What about Karen? We could call Karen. She's who we're waiting to hear from, and if anything's changed maybe she's been trying to get a hold of us and can't."

Tony considered this. Michelle was right. They needed to know what the situation was at home and what, if anything, they could do to speed it up. Maybe they had more information on the people after Alex or Palmer's participation.

Pulling the satellite phone out of his pack, Tony dialed the number.

"Jack?"

"No Karen, it's Tony. Can you talk?"

"Yes, it's fine. What happened? Where's Jack?"

Tony sighed heavily, feeling Michelle shift against him.

"Jack's with Rick and Alex. We were trying to exit the country and they had to abandon the road. They're meeting us soon. I wanted to see where you were at - "

"Is that safe?"

"None of this is safe," Tony responded dryly. "But it's probably better if you don't say anything to Bill about this part."

Karen hissed on her end of the phone, but agreed.

"A colleague of mine gave me a lead. An old Homeland Security outpost in San Francisco. He'd been looking to implicate Warrington in something else and had a lead with regards to some old files…records, things of that nature. It might be all the proof we need to get Palmer to - "

"Are you gonna go then?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure that'll work? If he gets wind of anything coming he's gonna amp up security at the very least. Maybe even have everything moved."

"That's a risk I'll have to take."

"Maybe you should bring someone with you."

"Who else can we bring into this Tony? Bill can't leave LA without Hammond getting suspicious, and we don't trust anyone else enough to bring them into this."

Tony clamped down on his lip.

"Let me talk to Jack, alright. We have no idea where our next move is gonna be from here; we'll work something out."

"Update me as soon as you can. I'm taking a commercial flight in as soon as possible. We don't want anyone to start asking questions. I have a briefing with NSA and President Palmer tomorrow morning and then I'm going to fly out whether you've gotten back to me or not."

"I'll talk to Jack. Don't do anything until you hear from us. If something happens to you this is all over."

"I realize that, Tony - "

"Then wait for us to call back."

Karen exhaled on the other end, but he knew she knew he was right. If anything happened to Karen Alex would probably be running for the rest of her life and he _was not _okay with that.

"Any words on who's contracting the assassins?"

"No," she sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry. We have no idea who's supplying them or where they're finding them or who's giving the order. It could be Hammond or Warrington or someone in between. We have no way of knowing. The best we can do is give you as much surveillance as possible. You're not in the airport waiting are you?"

"Of course not," Tony growled. "We just have no idea where to go next."

Karen hesitated with a small gasp.

"She's to be arrested if she steps on US soil."

"I know."

"It's the last place they'd expect her to be."

Tony's brow creased. "That's really rolling the dice, Karen. The odds of no one spotting her…the CIA and the FBI is monitoring that stuff constantly. If they saw any of our faces it could trigger - "

"Then you'd better make sure you don't get caught. People live in the United States under Witness Protection all the time. Unless you have anyone else abroad you'd like to bring into this…all of your connections have been exhausted. Get her into the country and keep her hidden and it'll be the last place Hammond will expect her to be. He knows she knows what's at stake. He doesn't think she'd risk her family's safety for her own neck."

"But she is…"

"And when the President agrees she'll have a few minutes of paperwork to sign before her record is completely expunged and it'll have been the right call. Trust me on this one Tony. She can blend in better at home then she can in some foreign country. You all have connections. There must be somewhere you can lie low…"

"And some of us can meet you in San Francisco to extract the files."

Karen laughed softly. "I'm not going to say I wouldn't appreciate the backup."

"I'll talk to Jack."

"Thank you. Keep me posted."

As he hung up the phone Tony felt Michelle exhale softly against him. He jostled her slightly, tugging her closer. Angling her head upwards Michelle's lips met his in a soft kiss. He sighed back, stroking her arm.

"Karen wants her back in the States?"

"She thinks it's best. We're all at risk wherever we go."

Michelle bit her lip, starting at bit at the crunch of the ground as someone approached. Relief flooded her face when she saw Chase.

"You talk to Jack?" he inclined his head at Tony.

"No. Not yet."

"We gonna stay out here all night or what?"

Tony tried to keep from tensing, but he knew Michelle felt it when she frowned.

"Are we not - ?"

"Jack said to be outta here by sunset, whether they've caught up or not."

"So we're just gonna leave 'em?" Chase growled angrily. "What the hell is Jack playing at?"

"He knows we can't be out here all night. We'll hold off as long as we can, alright?" he squeezed Michelle reassuringly before releasing her and rising. "You see anyone in town?"

Chase shook his head.

"No, but I asked around a bit. Someone said we weren't the first Americans they'd seen in the last little while."

"What?" Tony's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah…" Chase rubbed the back of his head. "Three guys were in earlier. One of them spoke the language. Asked the same thing I did…"

Tony swore under his breath, stepping out to glance around the car. The street was even more deserted than it had been before his phone call.

"They found us."

"So what do we do?" Michelle was on her feet, at his side. Tony rubbed his cheek, his other hand dipping behind his back and touching his weapon.

"We stick with the plan. We'll give 'em a little longer and then we'll…"

Tony trailed off when three figures moving towards them caught his eye. Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking the shortest for anyone but Alex. Rick moved slightly ahead of her, urging her forward with gentle tugs of his hand and Jack followed, head moving avidly to gauge their surroundings.

They were halfway down the street when Michelle called out a warning and started reaching for a weapon.

"Wha - ?"

"Three-o-clock!" she shouted, pulling out her weapon just as Chase made a mad dash in the direction the rest of their party was coming from. A shot ricocheted off something a few feet to his left and Tony ducked, finally grappling for his own weapon as he identified another shooter directly across from where he and Michelle were still situation. Michelle fired a few rounds into the darkness, but it was hard to see everything and she missed the target. When whoever was on the other side returned fire and they both ducked behind the truck.

"Chase! What's happening!?" Tony yelled.

"I count two, maybe three hostiles between me and them! I can't see anything though."

Another bullet whizzed past Tony and he dropped back behind the truck with Michelle.

"Where's everyone else?"

A yelp from across the way made them both look up.

"What happened!?" Tony called.

"One down!" Rick's voice echoed over the noise. Tony poked his head out a little to lay down some cover, straining to hear his brother's voice.

"How many you count?"

"I got four - "

A bullet hit the side mirror of the vehicle and Tony fell back just as Michelle jumped out from beneath the car and fired a few quick rounds. Tony sensed more than saw another hostile aim directly at her and was moving before he could even realize what was happening.

"Michelle, get down!" He roared, diving on top of her and shoving her out of the line of fire. The searing pain he felt in his side was an afterthought when he realized she was alive and shielded by his body. Beneath him, Michelle's eyes widened with horror as he moved one arm to his side and pulled back his fingers, coated in blood.

"Tony…" her voice was rife with panic and his vision started to blur as she got to her knees. The pain overwhelmed him and he fell back to the ground in a daze.

"Tony…" she gulped hard at the lump in her throat and the burning behind her eyes.

"Rick!" the hoarseness disappeared from her voice and she shouted at full volume.

"What happened!?"

"Tony's hit!"

* * *

_"Tony's hit!_"

Alex stared at Rick in utter disbelief.

"Can you see the shooter!?" she exclaimed, poking her head out from around the vehicle they'd used for cover. She felt her chest tighten as she tried to gauge the distance to the shooter, heart pounding.

"Al, don't!" Rick yanked her back down, proving with that simple phrase how well he knew her. She'd been about to make a play for the shooter, blood bubbling and head spinning with fury. She'd been about to gun down the sonofabitch with everything she had.

"Jack, Tony's hit!" Rick called behind them. He heard Jack's yell of acknowledgement.

"Chase!" Alex straightened up a little. "Are you seeing anything from over there?"

"Not much!"

"Lay down the cover!" She glanced at Rick who had pulled back to her. She waited for him to argue, but instead he nodded. She was tired, but he'd rather have her rely on him to take out the hostiles and she could focus on helping Tony.

"We'll cover you," he assured her. "Stay in position once you're there."

He squeezed her fingers just as she leapt from her cover and sprinted as hard as she could down the road to where Tony and Michelle waited….

"Michelle!" Alex skidded to a halt, tucking her weapon beneath the waistband of her pants and kneeling over Tony. Michelle had her hand pressing against the wound as hard as she could, her skin stark white in contrast to the blood. Her face didn't look much better, even in the growing darkness.

"He…he pushed me out of the way…" she gulped hard. "I didn't know what to do, so I just got him out of the way and put pressure on the bleeding…"

Alex nodded, her hands replacing Michelle's bloodied ones and easing her to the side.

"Tony…" she rubbed his leg, trying to get him to focus on her as Michelle moved to the door of the car.

"C'mon Tony, talk to me…" she ordered as she swiftly pulled up his shirt and checked his body for the entry point. The bleeding was coming from between the fourth and fifth rib and Alex reapplied the pressure as Michelle kept her head down and fumbled for something in the backseat, oblivious to what was going on around them. They'd just have to rely on everyone else to keep the hostiles occupied. .

"C'mon Tony…" Alex demanded of him. "You need to talk to me."

He grunted. "How…bad?"

"Don't worry about that. Just talk to me…"

"Where's…M'chelle?"

Her chest tightened at the catch in his words and she gulped hard.

"Tony…" Michelle's breathy voice slid in beside Alex and shone a flashlight over his body. A small gasp escaped her lips and she brought a hand to her mouth as she took in all the blood. Her eyes welled with tears and sat back on her legs, staring at him for a few painful seconds.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Hold his head or something. Talk to him. Just talk him down. He needs to relax."

Something shattered over their heads and Michelle and Alex both dropped to the ground.

"Rick!" Alex's voice flooded with panic as she spared a quick glance out in front of them.

"Stray bullet! Stay down! I'm covering you!"

Alex just hoped it stayed that way as she went back to work.

"Talk to him, Michelle." She repeated, the purposefulness coming back to her voice. "Keep him conscious. I'm trying to see if we hit anything important."

"Tony…" Michelle leaned forward, smoothing back the sweaty hair on his forehead with the hand not angling the flashlight. "Tony stay with me…" she breathed softly, ignoring how unnaturally pale he looked. It was just like before. Just like that day at the mall. The lump in her throat thickened and she found his hand, squeezing and hoping he would be able to squeeze back.

"Tony talk to me…" she pleaded, brushing her lips against the top of his head. "I need you to talk to me…"

He tried, but his raspy breathing cut him off. Instead he just squeezed her fingers tightly and Michelle just continued to breathe slowly against him, as if doing so would keep him alive.

"Michelle…I…you know I…"

She shushed him quietly with another kiss to his brow, tears threatening to spill over her lids.

"Tell me after, okay sweetheart?"

His gaze grew watery but he nodded as best he could.

"I just…If I don't - "

"Don't talk like that," Alex cringed internally when she heard Michelle's voice catch and a soft sniffle. Her fingers worked furiously as she tried to find the source of the bleeding.

"Just know that - "

"Tony, just shut up; you're making your wife cry."

A chuckle that was more of a cough emanated from him as Michelle managed a small smile and leaned in to kiss him again. Tony's breathing was raspy, but he agreed.

"Okay…"

Alex worked busily for a few minutes, checking for severed arteries, a piece of the bullet, anything that might be lethal if they missed it. Michelle watched anxiously with Tony's head in her lap and the flashlight poised above Alex. Suddenly, Alex pulled back and pressed down hard on the wound, checking the shirt they'd used to apply the pressure. Her brow creased and Michelle's anxiety increased dramatically.

"What's wrong?"

"Wait a sec…"

"Alex - "

"The bleeding's stopping!" Alex blurted out. Michelle pulled back long enough to stare at her.

"What?"

"We didn't hit any major arteries. It's starting to clot. If we keep the pressure on it he'll…he should be fine."

"Really!?" Michelle stared in disbelief. "You're…you're sure?"

Alex inclined her head in mild awe, relief overwhelming her features. Michelle's eyes stung with moisture. She breathed a sigh of relief, dipping forward and kissing him softly on the mouth, fingers in his hair as the flashlight dropped to the ground. Alex panted a little, realizing the firefight had stopped around them and looking up expectantly to see everyone else emerging and looking unscathed. Her forehead dropped delicately against Tony's torso as she exhaled.

"Christ, Tony. Don't be such a drama queen next time. You scared the shit out of us."

He chuckled a weak apology and she reached to squeeze his hand gently. The others approached, and she got to her feet to meet them. Alex snuck a glance behind her in time to see Tony reach a hand up to Michelle's hair and drag her down for another kiss. Michelle pulled back to tilt her forehead against his and stayed like that for a moment, keeping him close.

"I think…" sweaty and breathless, Alex glanced between Rick, Chase and Jack. "I think he's okay. The bleeding was slowing on its own so I think…"

Wiping the moisture gruffly from beneath her eyes she hadn't realized had been there, she sidestepped Jack who was obviously on his way to confirm her assessment.

Her gaze lifted to Rick and she bit her lip.

"We got 'em all?"

He nodded reassuringly. "Yeah. Confirmed dead."

She nodded and shut her eyes tightly. Rick glanced briefly at Chase, (who was clearly trying to look elsewhere), before reaching out a tentative hand to squeeze her arm. He wanted to pull her tightly against him, but decided that was better saved for later.

"It's not your fault, Al."

"Yes it is."

"Everyone made the decision to do this. You didn't make anyone do anything."

"I know, but…"

"Don't…" The hand on her arm cupped her cheek and his shook his head. "It's all fine. It worked out."

She nodded unconvincingly and he broke the contact, dark eyes still locked warmly on hers. Her chest tightened a little at the expression on his face.

"He's good, right?" Rick called over to Jack as Alex spun around. Jack rose from the ground and nodded, getting Tony to his feet with Michelle's help.

"Yeah, he's fine," his focus shifted between Alex and Michelle.

"You guys did good."

Michelle wrapped Tony's arm around her to steady him, pressing her face into his shirt and inhaling deeply before guiding him to the car.


	12. Glitter in the Air

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ I'm sorry this chapter took so long guys! Again! I just had to change a bunch of stuff around and it took a lot more editing than I anticipated so…I hope it was worth the wait. I really love this chapter so I wanted to get it right. Thanks sososo much to everyone who's reviewing. It makes me so happy to know people are reading this. Also note the very beginning sequence could/should probably be given an M rating for content. I hope you guys enjoy it!_

Chapter Eleven – Glitter in the Air

_It's only half past the point of oblivion _

_The hourglass on the table, the walk before the run _

_The breath before the kiss, and the fear before the flames_

_Have you ever felt this way? _

_**- Glitter in the Air by Pink **_

…_How she went from sitting fully on clothed on his couch nursing a bottle of beer, to half naked with his mouth on her neck was beyond her. What jolted her back to reality was his weight disappearing from on top of her; she mewled as he stood, but his arms slid around her reassuringly as soon as he was off the couch. Her legs and arms wrapped around him, her blue eyes wide and her mouth agape. One arm tightened around her hips while his other palmed the back of her head. As he maneuvered them to the bedroom he kissed her softly, laughing in quiet disbelief against her wet lips that he shouldn't have waited so long… _

_The whole thing was gut-wrenchingly, achingly slow as they spent what seemed like both way too much and not nearly enough time just kissing on the bed. Her whole body clenched at the way he lifted her enough to unclip her bra and toss it aside before moving to suckle her breasts. Her hand slid into his hair instinctively as he did whatever he was doing to make those sounds come out of her. She tensed when he moved down to her stomach and his fingers slid beneath the waistband of her underwear. _

_Alex whimpered but nodded when he started to remove them, heart pounding as he completed the task. He smiled a little and kissed the top of her leg before moving inward and kissing the top of her curls. She yelped and her hips flexed in response. _

_"It's…" she tightened her fingers in his hair. "It's okay you don't have to…" she panted breathlessly. _

_His dark, serious eyes lifted to meet hers, making her shiver. _

"_I want to," he teased a finger down her thigh. _

_She gulped. And she wanted him to. Fuck. He shouldn't be allowed to use those eyes on her. _

_"No but…" she tried to find her words and he slid back up her body and stared at her intently, curves sealing hers. "Don't…seriously…" _

_"Only you would ask me not to do that…" he teased good-naturedly and her chest tightened. _

_"Well…I mean I want you to but…" his hand slid between her legs to tease her as she continued to speak and she whimpered. He groaned and bit his lip, increasing the pressure slightly. _

_"If you do I won't again." She blurted out quickly. _

_"What?" he brushed a piece of hair off her forehead and her breath caught in her throat. _

_"If I…" she flushed bright red, unable to believe she was having this conversation…with him of all people. She lowered her voice to an almost-whisper. "If I…if I …come…now I won't be able to again..." _

_This time he laughed easily, kissing her insistently and somehow managing to make her not feel completely pathetic. _

_"I'm serious!" she protested, breaking the kiss. "I can't…more than once…I've tried, it's not…" _

_He shook his head, the smirk still on his face. _

"_Well uh…" his nose brushed across her cheek as he continued his carresses. "Why don't you let me see if I can help you out with that…" he grinned arrogantly, pressing his mouth to hers again before sliding down her neck and to her belly button. She groaned and her hips bucked, her body telling her brain to just shut the hell up for once. He found her hand and squeezed, gaze locking on hers again. _

_"Hey…" He brushed his other thumb across her hipbone tenderly. She sighed. _

_"You sure you wanna..?" _

_She blinked hard, but nodded as she quivered from nerves. She was so goddamn useless she couldn't even pull herself together now. His lips replaced his thumb, dark eyes locking on hers again. _

_"Deep breath, Al. It's just you and me," he promised gently, his own vision clouding when she shook harder at his words. After that he wasted no time settling between her legs and planting small kisses against the inside of her smooth thighs. She squirmed beneath him a second before his lips found her center…_

_She didn't know what the hell he was doing and frankly she couldn't have cared to take the time to figure it out. He took her to the brink again and again, groaning each time her grip on his hair tightened and she pleaded with him softly to not stop. Her head swam, her vision blurred and she whimpered as he brought her close again and again until he finally took her over the edge. At last, she clenched hard around his fingers, moaning loudly as release flooded through her. She might've even kicked him. It was all a little fuzzy. _

_He pulled back for a few seconds to kiss his way up her leg before he moved in again between her thighs and start flicking his tongue lightly against her yet again. She yelped when he did…trust him to prove a point this way. _

_When she felt the ache building between her legs again she gasped in surprise. This time he didn't tease her, taunting her only a little before taking her over again. His mouth slid back up her body and he kissed her, his tongue circling hers and his fingers stroking her still as she rode out the aftershocks of her second orgasm in a complete daze. The length of him pressing hard against her leg made her groan again as he did the same, nipping lightly at her mouth. _

_Emboldened, her hands slid to his boxers, sliding down the front and caressing him gently. He shook his head vigorously against hers, saying he was too close, and for the first time she realized his heart was pounding as much as hers. He disappeared to pull the boxers off and find a condom. _

_He nibbled across her lips some more as his hand spread her legs and entered her slowly. It'd been ages, but she didn't dwell on any of the discomfort, focusing instead on how he felt settled inside her. As he waited for her to adjust he lifted their entwined hands and kissed the inside of her wrist before moving up her arm, to her shoulder and finally her neck. _

"_You good?" he whispered gently in her ear before starting to move. He hadn't said one thing intentionally sexy or seductive and she still couldn't get over how turned on she became every time he uttered some disjointed, not remotely poetic phrase in a heavy voice. There was nothing slick about the words he spoke to her, and they made the warmth spread from her core as she tried to match his gentle rhythm. _

_Suddenly she clammed up, the nerves hitting her abruptly when his speed increased. _

"_Damn it I'm…I'm sorry…" her palms slid down his shoulders and across the front of his chest, easing his body away from hers to give herself some room to think. She blinked hard. "I'm sorry…I…" _

"_Wha - ?"_

"_I'm sorry I'm… I don't know, I'm… I want to I just…" _

_He stared at her in disbelief for a second before, his mouth forming a small 'o' and making her turn redder. He didn't remain frozen for long though, dipping his head down and pressing his lips to her ear. He gasped when her muscles tightened around him in response and he nuzzled her again. _

"_You feel good…" he breathed simply, making her whimper and tighten again. Nodding hurriedly, she gulped with overly eagerness. _

"_You…" she swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and squinted her eyes shut, inhaling deeply. "You feel good too… Fuck, you feel really good…" His breath caught and he gathered her close, starting to resume their pace. The tension started building quickly, and his breath was hot on her neck. His fingers twined with hers against the sheets and after a few minutes his free hand grabbed her leg, tugging it around his hip. Her body started to shake and she simply clung to him as his face buried into her shoulder; the intensity of the pleasure coiling in the pit of her stomach catching her off guard. _

"_Talk to me, Al..." he growled, teeth grazing her neck before they bit down. She moaned loudly, her head falling back against the pillows and her hair sliding everywhere. _

"_Al…" _

"_I'm…I'm almost…" she couldn't finish the sentence as he tilted her hips a final time and she yelped, crying out in release. The feeling of her gripping him was too much and he groaned her name against her as he slammed into her a final time. As they stopped moving, he collapsed against her, quivering slightly. _

"_Oh my god…" she panted in disbelief, head thrown back against the pillow. She felt him smile against her damp skin as he too gasped for air, his own skin equally damp. When both their breathing finally slowed he lifted his head just enough to kiss her shoulder and then her lips. A hand moved to push sweaty hair out of her eyes. _

"_You okay?" he exhaled against her. Alex nodded contentedly, her hands rubbing his back without her realizing it. Her head was miraculously clear, and despite how overwhelmed she had felt minutes before she felt relaxed now. _

"_Uh huh…" she clamped down on her lip. "Are you…I mean…was it okay for…" _

_Rick's mouth covered hers before she could finish her sentence and the anxiety dissipated instantly when his tongue parted her lips and flicked her own, getting a barely-there moan for his trouble. He was grinning widely when he pulled away and she couldn't help but grin back. _

"_Not sure…I might have to try it again to be safe…" _

_Her light laughed echoed throughout the room and she nodded. _

"_I can deal with that."

* * *

_

MADRID, SPAIN

Madrid Airport was particularly busy for a weekday morning, but that only made it easier to blend in. The rest of the drive in Sangala had been squishy to say the least, and Tony had been in pain the entire way. He'd lain half on Michelle sprawled out across the bench, his feet on the ground. Her cool fingers had stroked his sweaty hair, soothing him as best she could in the sweltering heat and reaffirming her presence whenever the pain got worse. Between Michelle and Rick they'd got him into the airport without incidence and the flight out of Sangala had been uneventful. He was stiff and squirmed a little during but, as Jack reminded them repeatedly, it could've been a lot worse.

And now they waited for their flights back to the States. Tony, Michelle, Rick and Alex would be leaving first and Jack had insisted he and Chase wait with them in case anything changed. With Tony incapacitated, he wasn't taking any chances.

During the car ride Tony had confessed Karen's findings on Warrington and that they needed someone in San Francisco. Jack had volunteered readily and Alex had looked unimpressed when he said she wasn't to go with him. She wasn't in any condition to be wasting her energy on a task like this that could, for all they knew, be an ambush.

_"It's just gonna be you and Karen, Jack?" Tony had checked from his reclined position. _

_"I'm not dragging anyone else into this. If this thing is a trap we can't predict what's going to happen and I can't ask anyone else to - "_

_"I'll go with you," Chase declared softly from the passenger seat. Alex, who was sandwiched between him and Jack, stared. _

_"Don't be an idiot." _

_"He needs help." _

_"I don't need help, Chase." Jack protested as Alex interjected:  
"Just go back home, alright? It's danger - "_

_"I got nowhere to go right now, Al. I can't go back to London right now after what happened and I'm not…" he trailed off, angling his head towards the backseat. Alex flinched a little. He wasn't going to make Rick be the one to leave again with Jack. _

_"I still think you should just…lie low or something. I don't want you to - "_

_"I know it's been a while, but I do know what I'm doing here, Al," Chase remarked flatly. "Though I appreciate the concern…" _

Spain had been a logical choice for their layover. With Tony and Rick both speaking the language fluently and Jack and Chase understanding enough to get by they were able to disappear into the fray, and even make casual inquiries about the airport security. Rick had taken Michelle with him to purchase the tickets and check-in, much to Tony's chagrin. Despite the fact that he'd just been shot, he didn't like being sidelined even when something that simple.

And now they waited for their flight to be called. Rick paced casually down the row of seats, glancing at the faces of the other passengers of the plane. No one looked suspicious, but that didn't make him feel any better. Mandy would have looked anything but suspicious to anyone who didn't know who she was. Tony had draped across some chairs, his head pillowed on Michelle's lap again as he fought off sleep until they were safely en route. Jack lingered in the background, checking the board for any changes in either of the flights. In the row opposite Tony and Michelle sat Alex and Chase. Alex looked a little on edge, but every few minutes Chase would rub her thigh and they would converse in low tones meant for no one else to hear. He tweaked her cheek whenever she smiled at something, the affection apparent in his expression.

"Attention passengers, United Airlines Flight 7889 direct flight from Madrid to JFK is now boarding rows one through ten."

"Better get ready," Rick reminded them. Tony sat up wearily as Michelle gathered their passports and Alex rose to her feet. Chase did the same, studying her carefully as she shouldered her bag.

"You don't have to do this Chase," she reminded him.

Chase nodded gruffly. "Yeah I do. Jack needs help, even if he won't admit it. It'll be fine."

"I just uh…" she clamped down on her lip, glancing around quickly as some passengers started to line up to board.

"I'll be careful." He insisted, cutting off what she was about to say. "And I'll be there to make sure Jack doesn't get sidetracked…" he nudged her playfully in the shoulder. "You be good; enjoy your mini vacation…"

Alex laughed wryly. All it would take was one person noticing her when she landed in the US for this entire thing to go up in flames. It was anything but a vacation.

"I'll try."

Hearing the next rows of flights called Alex exhaled softly and leaned in to peck Chase on his cheek. His arms closed around her and they embraced tightly, her standing on toes to get better height.

After a minute he released her reluctantly and cupped her cheek, fingertips rough against her smooth skin.

"I'll see you in a few days," he promised, easing her in the direction of the rest of her party with a reassuring nod. Before Alex knew it she was following Tony down the gangway and onto the plane.

* * *

NEW YORK CITY

Kathryn Gibson wasn't sure what to expect when she pulled back the front door of her posh SoHo apartment. It was late and their doorman was always diligent so the fact that he hadn't called to let her know she had visitors made her suspicious. He called for everyone – even to let her know her parents were on the way up.

Eric, her boyfriend, had bolted awake seconds later and hurried after her. He got to the door just as she checked the peephole. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight, words failing her as a queasy feeling hit her stomach. Eric had just started to ask what was wrong when she heard a voice through the heavy oak.

"Kat, open up…" it was tired and plaintive but she knew that voice anywhere. Without hesitation, she flung the door open and Kathryn came face to face with someone she couldn't possibly have expected…maybe not ever again.

"Oh my god," was all she could manage, failing to notice the other arrivals right away.

"Oh my god, I thought you were dead…" Kathryn trailed off in disbelief, the corners of her eyes prickling. Alex smiled back weakly, looking haggard but still like Alex. Her blond locks were dull and straggly and her face was gaunt and transparently pale, but her icy blue eyes and freckles were still there. A few bags rested on the floor of the hall and she was surrounded by three people, all looking equally haggard.

Without warning Kathryn flung her arms around her friend's shoulders and squeezed tightly. Alex hissed and someone else moved and Kat pulled back immediately looking apologetic.

"What happened?" she cupped her friend's face. "Are you okay? You look like hell. You need to get to the hospital…"

Alex threw a glance over her shoulder before turning back to Kathryn.

"We can't. Look, I'm sorry to put this on you but we need your help…I didn't know where else to go."

Kathryn's gaze drifted into the hall towards the rest of the party and she pursed her lips together, tucking a strand of wispy dark hair behind her ear and glancing at Eric quickly before nodding.

"Yeah…of course…come in."

They were ushered inside quickly and after a round of very brief introductions Alex stepped forwards towards Eric.

"We're gonna need you to play doctor…it's been a rough few days…" she explained with a hint of anxiety behind her eyes. Without a word, Eric held a hand to the small of her back. Alex shook her head. Eric was finishing up his last year of medical school and was the closest they would come to an actual doctor without having to step inside an emergency room. Tony had been fine on the flight over, but once they left the city treatment would be even more difficult to come across without risking being caught. They were better to take the risk now instead of hoping his injury didn't get worse.

"Tony was shot yesterday morning…" she motioned Tony over and pulled up the hem of his shirt, showing the wound.

"The bleeding's mostly stopped on its own but…"

"I'm fine." Tony insisted.

"He lost a lot of blood and he's in pain." Alex ignored him flatly and Eric smirked a little.

"Come sit down…" he ushered Tony towards the spare bedroom. "I'll get my kit and we'll take a look."

Alex inclined her head expectantly and Tony sighed, reluctantly following Eric.

Alex glanced behind her at Michelle and Rick, exhaling softly in relief, before turning back to Kat.

"We need to talk…" she explained hoarsely, folding her arms across her chest.

* * *

"Alex, what are you doing here?" Kathryn asked desperately once Michelle had excused herself to follow Tony into the bedroom. Alex sighed at Kat's question and lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry to do this to you - "

"Don't worry about me just…" she shook her head in disbelief, eyes pooling with moisture, "We all thought you were dead. We heard about your dad and we thought…"

Alex hung her head sadly. "I'm sorry."

"But…" Kat shook her head gruffly. "But you're okay, right? Eric will look you over. You can stay as long as you - "

"Are your parents in Switzerland?"

Kathryn looked confused but nodded.

"Yeah…flew out last week. Why - ?"

"I need the keys to the Hamptons and I need to borrow a car."

Kathryn's eyes widened. "What…why can't you - ?"

"We need to lie low for a few days and I can't do that in our place."

Kathryn stared at her. "Lie low from who? Are you in trouble? Who's after you?"

"I can't explain - "

"You can't expect me not to ask questions! You disappeared for almost a year and everyone assumed you were…"

"Kat," Alex's tone was firm. "You have to believe me when I say I'm doing this to protect you. This isn't a game; I've had three attempts on my life that I've known about in the last week - "

"Oh my god…"

"You have to trust me right now."

Kat stared at her in shock and clamped down on her lip, glancing at Rick warily.

"I can give you the keys to the Hamptons. Eric's car should be good for you guys."

"Thank you."

"What else?"  
"Some clothes maybe…and then you need to get on a plane. Go visit your parents."

"I have a job, Alex!"

"If the people after me find out we're in the States – and they will eventually – they'll start looking for people I might be connected to...and you can't be here when they come."

"They can't prove anything - "

"They can torture you until you tell them where we are and then they will _execute you_! This isn't time to fuck around. There's no negotiating, or trying to hide the truth because that's not a risk I'm willing to take. You do what I say right now, Kat. You have to trust me."

Kat was shaking slightly and lowered her eyes to her hands. Her voice quivered when she spoke.

"It's really that bad?"

"_Yes_."

Kat exhaled, clamping down on her lip. Alex ran a hand over her arm.

"Kat, we've been running from these guys for the last week. They'll stop at nothing to find us and if you get in the way I…"

Kat watched her friend's face cloud over with worry and quietly cut her off.

"Okay. Okay. I'll call the airline and then we can see about getting you some clothes…."

Alex squeezed her arm.

"Thank you."

* * *

"How's he doing?" Rick poked his head into the bedroom a few minutes later. Tony was sitting upright, looking tired but better than he had been after the plane ride.

"I numbed the area and stitched up the wound. It's healing nicely all things considered; he should be fine in a few days."

Michelle's slightly pallor complexion gave away the fact that she was still worried, but she nodded.

"Thanks. We really appreciate this."

Eric inclined his head dutifully. "There's not much I can do given the circumstances but…"

"You've done a lot," Tony interjected courteously.

Eric glanced out into the hallway and frowned.

"Alex doesn't need me to look at her?"

"She was treated in Tokyo," Michelle explained. "Her side bothers her a bit sometimes; she's got a few stress fractures but there was only so much they could do."

Eric nodded. "Alright. I'm sure you want to be on your way. Just make sure she takes it easy…no heavy lifting."

The smallest of smirks appeared on Rick's lips and he watched Michelle shake her head with an eye roll, sensing where his mind was going. His smirk widened a little and he ran his tongue over his lips.

"Yeah. We'll keep an eye on her," Rick assured Eric as he reached forward to help Tony off the bed. Tony shrugged him off in exasperation, standing on his own and wincing only slightly. Everybody held their breath and Tony just growled he was fine. Rick and Michelle exchanged a look, but said nothing. Instead they all followed Tony back out into the hallway where Alex and Kathryn waited again. Without a word Michelle slid her fingers between Tony's and exhaled softly when he squeezed back. He might claim to not need any help but she could at least keep him close…just in case.

"Alright we got some food and stuff…" Alex explained, indicating to the bags on the floor. "Toothbrushes…toiletries," she felt her pulse starting to normalize a little, knowing Kat would be safe soon enough.

"Some clothes too…we should be good for a few days," she glanced at Eric. "He's okay?"

"I'm fine," Tony interjected.

Eric explained, "We stitched him up, gave him some local. That should last for a few days too and then the worst of the pain should be over with. Lots of rest though, all of you. You look like crap."

"Okay…" Alex fiddled with the sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing, glancing around expectantly.

"So…we're good?"

Everyone nodded softly and Alex gulped and turned to Kat as Rick scooped all the bags up easily.

"So you have the flight reservation…"

"Yes."

"You'll call me if you have any problems getting out of the country…"

"Yes, Aly…" Kat's eyes flooded with tears and she clamped down on her lip. Alex pulled her into a tight hug quickly and wiped her eyes.

"It'll be fine, I'll see you soon - "

Kat's whimper cut her off as her friend squeezed her tighter. Alex's words came shakily when she spoke again.

"Thank you, Kat."

* * *

The road before them grew darker and emptier as they sped out of the city. The drive ahead would be long considering how tired Rick had looked sitting in the apartment. He seemed more alert now, a cup from Starbucks between them, but Alex knew he was feeling the eighteen hour days and weak attempts at sleep. They both needed to rest, but she wasn't about to pass out and leave him to figure out the drive for himself. She knew the roads like the back of her hand and she also knew he'd appreciate the company, whether he admitted it or not.

"How ya doin' Michelle?" Rick murmured softly after a short glance in the rearview mirror.

"Mhmm…" They heard Michelle's contented sigh. Alex twisted around in her seat and a smile spread across her lips. Michelle'd been dozing in and out of consciousness for the last little while, but as roomy as the back seat of the SUV was, she didn't look very comfortable. Tony, instead of dropping his head against a window, had opted to cuddle against Michelle's chest.

"Here…" Alex grabbed a jacket from the floor and handed it to Michelle, who used it to cushion her shoulders against the door. Michelle smiled softly, fingers smoothing across Tony's back. He groaned a little in his sleep and pressed closer to her, arms curling impossibly tighter around her waist.

Turning back to Rick, Alex snickered a little.

"Let us know when you can't breathe anymore, Michelle," Alex teased.

"Nah, she can breathe," Rick added. "I lived with them for a few months remember? This is just normal behavior for Tony Almeida…the cuddler."

Michelle laughed tiredly in response.

"Don't spread it around," she breathed quietly.

Rick grinned in response.

After that they fell into silence again. Michelle curled her fingers into Tony's hair, dropping a soft kiss to the top of his head. Settling back against the door she let her own eyes close, enjoying the feeling of his weight against her more than she could possibly describe. After the last twenty-four hours she didn't care about whether or not her back was aggravated. She just liked having him close. The comfort of his body heat and the gentle hum of the car were enough to lull her into a light sleep as they sped along into the night.

Rick's hand adjusted on the steering wheel and he stretched a bit in his seat, stealing an occasional glance in Alex's direction. When he spoke his voice was low.

"You should sleep a bit," he told her softly.

"Sick of my charming company already?"

Sliding out his hand, he rubbed her leg, a soft look on his face. He fiddled with the vents on the car.

"You warm enough?"

"Mhm…"

"You look tired."

"So do you…we can sleep when we get there. It's not that bad of a drive without traffic."

Considering her proposal he smiled a little and found her hand in her lap. Without taking his eyes off the road, her brought her fingers to his lips.

"Alright..." he agreed. "Sleep when we get there."

Alex's heart pounded furiously in her chest at his words and his gesture, wondering what, if any, implications her sleep-deprived brain was to draw from his words. The plane from Madrid had her seated beside Rick but neither of them had slept much. At one point he'd got up for their bags, finding a sweatshirt of his (her favorite, incidentally), helping her tug it over her head and explaining softly she'd looked cold. His scent had been inexplicably soothing to her addled nerves and she relaxed a little bit more. Having him close tended to do that, even when they weren't touching.

Yawning she glanced back out the window, letting him keep a hold on her hand for a few minutes. She'd worry about it what the handholding was supposed to mean later.

* * *

The Gibson's bungalow in the Southampton was spectacular in décor and beachfront property, but small compared to the surrounding properties. Kat stayed with friends now when she went up and they'd turned one of the bedrooms into an office as soon as she'd graduated college.

Now in the dark it was still recognizable to Alex. Flicking on as few lights as possible she led everyone towards the landing off the den as Rick dropped their bags beside the couch. A groggy Tony stumbled behind them, blinking the sleep from his eyes and looking around in mild confusion.

"I was out a while?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Just as soon as we put the car in gear. We're just happy you didn't smother Michelle with all the cuddling."

Tony made a face. "I don't cuddle, Alex."

Snickers filled the silent room and Tony's eyes narrowed.

"Michelle knows I don't cuddle…"

Something between a yelp and a giggle escaped Michelle's throat and she shook her head, bringing her fingers to her mouth. Tony's nostrils flared.

"For someone who doesn't cuddle, you do a pretty good job of it every night…" Michelle cooed patronizingly. Tony growled something under his breath and more quiet laughs filled the room

"Yeah, yeah, you're all hilarious," he growled again, but his hand had dropped to Michelle's back, massaging gently. He'd realized when he came to that Michelle's shoulders and neck would probably be achy from the cramped position he'd unknowingly forced her into.

"You just make a good pillow, sweetheart," he told her, the tone of his voice shifting from sarcastic to tender and changing the mood instantaneously. Michelle sidled closer reflexively, her expression softening.

"I noticed," she teased warmly, resting her cheek against his shoulder and indicating she was ready for bed. Tony glanced between everyone, rubbing his cheek.

"Alright…so there's two bedrooms you said?" checked with Alex who nodded in confirmation. She felt Rick's gaze land on her and tensed a little.

"It's uh…you guys should take the master bedroom. It's at the very end of the hall. The couch in here pulls out and there's another couch in the office so…"

Tony nodded, feeling Michelle's fingers close gently around his and squeezing back a little. Alex looked half dead on her feet and stifled another yawn while Rick leaned back against the couch, arms folded expectantly.

"So what are you guys gonna do?"

Even in the darkness Alex's cheeks flamed red. She had no fucking clue what they were going to do but didn't exactly feel like having the conversation in front of Tony and Michelle. She had very little idea as to what was going on with Rick at home and she…she'd been gone for ten months. Having him forgive her was different that having him still…wanting her like that.

"I'll um…" Alex looked to her hands, feeling every pair of eyes on her.

"It's late. I'll probably go to bed soon too."

Tony bit his lip, staring between Rick and Alex and feeling Michelle squeeze his fingers harder. Rick's eyes hadn't left Alex for a good minute and Tony frowned at his brother.

"You're not gonna call work or anything, right?" he checked, missing the exasperated look Rick shot him.

"Nah…I'm just gonna go to bed too."

Tony nodded understandingly, turning back to Alex.

"You're gonna be okay to sleep right?"

"Yeah…" she managed an uneasy smile, remembering the night spent alone in Angie's bed in London.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"She's fine, Tony," Rick's voice highlighted his exasperation now. He rolled his eyes at Michelle who sighed appreciatively.

"We're right here if ya need anything - "

"_They're_ fine Tony," Michelle insisted gently, watching Rick stifle a grin across from her. The corners of her lips twitched and Alex kept her eyes on the floor, still mortified.

"You sure?"

Rick almost smacked his own forehead and Michelle sighed again patiently. Leaning in closer to him she pressed a small kiss in the crook of his neck.

"Tony…" she breathed against his skin. He shivered in response and she caressed his arm.

"You need to rest. Let's go to bed, hmm?"

As if a light bulb turned on in his brain Tony snapped out of his sleep-induced daze. Rick had angled his body towards Alex now and she had clamped down on her lip; they hadn't had a minute alone since the outburst that night in Sangala and…

Fine, he was a little slow tonight. So sue him.

"Right, yeah…" he took a step back towards Michelle who was starting to lead him down the hall.

"I guess we'll uh…" he clamped down on his lip, finally cluing into the reason behind Alex's tomato red face. She chanced a look to his eyes and the color deepened.

"We'll see ya in the morning."

"Night…" Rick called after him sarcastically and Tony rolled his eyes as Michelle pulled him towards the bedroom, pausing to grab their bags of clothes. He was never going to hear the end of this.

* * *

Exhaustedly, he closed the bedroom door behind them, watching Michelle strip down to her underwear and dig a t-shirt out of her bag. He followed suit, kicking off his pants and lifting his t-shirt over his head just as Michelle tossed her bra in a corner. Both undressed, she pulled him to her, running her fingers along the bandage on his side. Her eyes were serious and she pressed her lips together slightly as her fingers continued their gentle caresses. Tony's hand moved to her face, tilting her chin so her eyes met his. In that moment they hadn't had any time to themselves since Sangala either. He'd known she was worried but somehow he'd pushed it to the back of his mind, focusing instead on how they were all going to get out of this.

"Hey…" he observed the tears pooling in the corners and kissed her softly. "Don't do that…"

She blinked hard, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm okay." He assured her. Michelle nodded quickly, wiping her cheeks as he bent into kiss her again, kissing away the tear streaks.

"I know." She sniffled a little, brushing her thumb across his skin. "I know you are sweetheart, it's just…" she sighed a little as his hand brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's my fault. If you hadn't had to push me out of the way…"

"Michelle…" he kinked an eyebrow and half his mouth curved upward. "Of all the things I've ever done to try and protect you, pushing you out of range of a bullet seems like the most logical one…"

This got a weak laugh and she pressed her mouth to his.

"I love you so much, Tony…" She tilted her forehead against his. "And I just wish this was done…"

Tony's face looked pained and he cut off her softly.

"C'mon…" he tugged her towards the mattress. "Let's get some rest."

She agreed readily, wiping her eyes a final time and watching him toss throw pillows to the floor and pull back the duvet. He moved a little slower than usual, but for the most part he seemed himself again. Sliding against the cool, soft sheets, her head hit the indescribably comfortable pillow and she exhaled contentedly. Tony's warm body pressed against hers from behind and his arm circled her waist. Tears threatened her again as his lips pressed into the back of her neck and his face nuzzled her skin.

"Not a cuddler, hmm?" she tried to mask the emotion in her voice, but knew it was probably a lost cause. He chuckled softly against her skin, tightening his hold as he slid his nose down her cheek.

"For you, sweetheart, I make an exception."

* * *

Left alone now, words failed both Alex and Rick for a few minutes. There had definitely been presumptions made as they bade Tony and Michelle good night but…dealing if it was a different situation. Rick's face was serious as he focused from her, straightening up and stepping away from the couch.

He rubbed his opposite cheek and glanced around at their surroundings.

"What do you uh…I mean I can sleep on the pullout or…"

"I um…" she shifted her weight uncomfortably on her feet. "Look, this is…I don't know where I'm gonna be in a few days…"

"Al…" he reached out a hand, stepping forward. His eyes softened.

"Or if I'm even gonna be alive and you shouldn't…I mean…considering what's happened it's hard enough being around you like this and saying goodbye…" her eyes watered and his stomach clenched at the expression on her face. He stepped even closer, itching to touch her.

"And it's been a while so I don't know what you have going on at home or anything and I don't want to get in the middle of that when I might not even be…"

"Al…"

"So maybe…I just think it's better if we just don't…I mean…I get it…I just showed up and this isn't - "

"I love you," he blurted it out abruptly, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She gulped hard and pursed her lips together staring at him in disbelief.

"You…um…what?"

A small smile touched his lips and he closed the distance between them quickly, cupping her face in his hands and pressing their mouths together. Despite the chasteness of the kiss, she inhaled sharply and stared at him in disbelief.

He shook his head with serious eyes, keeping her face close to his and brushing his thumbs across her cheeks.

"I love you," he repeated. His head tilted to the side and he brushed some hair back behind her ear. "That never changed, Al".

She whimpered a little and melded flush against him when his mouth landed on hers again, pressing insistently back against his kiss and feeling his tongue touch her bottom lip. She tightened her fingers against his t-shirt, her lungs burning and her limbs quivering. The kiss was wet and salty and she realized she was crying…again. When she'd turned into such a suck she had no idea.

"You're…I'm…I'm sorry I fucked this up so bad," she stumbled over her words. "I really didn't want to bring you into this - "

Again he kissed her and her body reciprocated eagerly on it's own. Her hands moved to his face and brushed the pads of her thumbs across his coarse stubble.

"I want to be in this," he breathed, keeping her close. "I don't care what happened or why you did it but I want to be in this no matter how bad it gets… Alright?"

The tip of his nose bumped hers gently before their lips touched again.

"I can't sleep anymore." She choked out, pulling back and wiping her eyes gruffly. "I'm tired and I haven't slept properly since…since I left and it got even worse when we went to China and I'm just…I'm just so _tired_…" the tears started to fall down her cheeks and she buried her face into his shoulder. His arms closed around and his chin came to rest against her temple. He kissed her hair.

"We'll fix that now…hmm?"

She lifted her head to smile weakly.

"I love you," he insisted.

Her bottom lip quivered, but she nodded and tightened her arms around him.

"I love you too…" she sighed. He grinned and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"C'mon…" he pulled back to find her fingers, tugging her down the hall.

"Let's go to bed."


	13. Gimme Sympathy

Bruised 

**A/N:**_ Hey guys! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I can't believe how long this story is getting…sheesh. Thanks for sticking with me! _

_I hope you enjoy this one! _

Chapter Twelve – Gimme Sympathy

_I can feel it in my bones_

_Gimme sympathy_

_After all of this is gone_

_Who'd you rather be?_

_The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?_

_Oh, seriously_

_You're gonna make mistakes, you're young_

_Come on, baby, play me a song_

_Like "Here Comes the Sun"_

_**- Gimme Sympathy by Metric **_

Michelle padded through the hallway, slightly chilled from the air conditioning. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she'd wrapped a soft, pale blue throw around her bare arms. Her head tilted softly to the side as she crept into the kitchen to see Tony in fiddling with the coffeemaker. With a contented sigh, Michelle closed the distance between them, slipping her arms around his waist and feeling him start slightly at the contact. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade and she kissed him through his t-shirt.

"Morning…" he grumbled softly. She beamed.

"You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep," her palms slid up his chest and his breath caught in his throat. She tightened her hold.

"You okay?"

"Mhmm…just glad Al considered coffee one of the essentials."

Michelle laughed quietly and kissed him again.

"They're still asleep?"

"Yeah…guess so…"

A soft sound escaped Michelle and Tony rolled his eyes.

"I can feel you laughing, Michelle," he groused.

"I'm not laughing," she hiccupped. He was masking his own grin when he turned around, settling his hands on her hips and pulling her in for a slow kiss. Her arms circled his neck and his tongue lapped gently at her lip. When they pulled back they were both breathing a little heavier.

"Hey…" she smiled stupidly, keeping him close. It'd been a long few days and she liked getting to spend time with him like this. After a few quiet minutes he pulled away, having already located the cupboard that held the mugs apparently and pouring them each a cup. Once her coffee was made, Michelle followed Tony to the couch in the living room, leaning against him with her legs draped across his lap as he flicked on the TV. She sighed contentedly as he flipped on SportsCenter, obviously intending on getting the latest score updates. Dropping the remote, he curled an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple as they both relaxed against each other.

Of all the places they'd been so far, New York was definitely her favorite.

* * *

Alex couldn't have imagined any force great enough to move her from the pleasant little cocoon she was now curled up in. A thick, fluffy duvet engulfed her blissfully warm body and sunlight filtered in through the crack in the mint green drapes covering the bay window. She twisted enough to observe Rick tangled in the white sheets to her right. Feeling almost delirious with excitement she made a small noise when he pulled her against him abruptly.

"Hey…" her skin tingled and her stomach clench as his coarse stubble brushed against her shoulder and neck before being replaced with his lips. She'd been aching for this for ten months – moments like this – and she was tired of trying to convince herself otherwise. She was tired of trying to convince herself she hadn't physically ached to not spend mornings like this with him.

"Morning…" it had been a rough night, but still the best sleep she'd had in ages. She'd woken several times whimpering and shivering with tear streaks down her face but he'd responded readily, using little kisses and calming words to soothe her back down from whatever nightmare she'd had. It was obvious as soon as he looked at her now that he hadn't slept at all. He looked tired, but not groggy; his dark eyes were practically luminous and the bags were more pronounced. His voice was clear instead of scratchy with sleep, but somehow she couldn't really feel disappointed about that…she just wished he'd gotten some rest too.

Now he tightened their embrace.

"How ya feeling?"

"Better." She breathed, the sheets partially obscuring her face. He grinned a little and pulled them away, delighting in the rosiness of her cheeks and lips that had returned. Her blue eyes were bright again and she grinned a little as he dipped his head to kiss her.

"You didn't sleep," she declared plaintively. He caressed her jaw with his thumb, a smile touching his lips.

"Doesn't matter... You had me worried there for a minute though…"

She bit her lip. "Sorry. The nights haven't…" she clamped down on her lip. "When I'm comfortable enough to sleep I get…dreams."

"I'll just nap on you later I guess. Since _as usual _you're the one impeding my sleep…"

Alex stiffened and he immediately regretted the offhanded comment.

"Hey…" he poked the corner of her mouth. "I'm kidding."

"I know…" she sniffled a little. "I know, but we're all tired. We're all missing sleep…"

"Sleep I can make up when we get back home. I missed this more."

Her breath caught and his nose brushed hers as he kissed her again softly.

"I guess we'd better take what we can get at this point."

The lightness disappeared from his expression.

"Palmer will exonerate you."

"Maybe not. I might be on a plane to Timbuktu this time tomorrow hoping Hammond hasn't had time to find anyone else to send after me - "

"I'm not leaving you if you are." His grip in her hair tightened a little. "Okay?"

"You're just gonna disappear of the face of the earth?"  
"Not like I haven't done it before - "

"Yeah and you devastated your parents…Tony was furious…your sisters - "

"My parents will forgive me. Tony understands. No matter what happens, I'm going wherever you're going…" He touched her cheek, trying to quell the tears that had formed behind her eyes. "You're not ditching me again, Yankee." He kissed her gently. "Alright?"

"I love you," she was still at the point where she had to say the words quickly - blurt them out randomly and abruptly before she lost her nerve - but at least she could say them now.

"For doing this…for everything…for putting up with me…I know it's been rough but um…I love you."

He grinned, tucking some hair behind her ear and amused with how she made herself seem like some sort of consolation prize.

"I love you too."

* * *

Alex slipped into the living room, dressed in far-too-big boxers and a white, long-sleeved t-shirt with her hair pulled back loosely. She shivered a little and murmured a greeting to Tony and Michelle as Rick moved into the kitchen to get their coffee. Alex shifted on the couch, reclining and shivering again. She should've grabbed Rick's sweater as well.

"Anything good on?"

Michelle shrugged. "Not really. We just got up though."

"There's like a million movies around here somewhere. We could put one on. I wouldn't suggest going outside much right now. Everyone around here knows everyone so they'd know something was up."

"'Supposed to storm later anyway," Tony shrugged, stroking Michelle's back idly as he continued to flick channels.

A few minutes later, Rick entered the room with two mugs balancing in one hand and a stack of buttered toast in the other. Sliding down beside Alex on the small couch, he placed the toast on the coffee table and handed Alex her mug. She took a grateful slip, quite enjoying the way he sidled a little closer to her until he reached for a piece of toast and held it plainly in front of her.

"Eat something," he ordered.

"Not now."

"You have to eat something," he waited for her to finish her gulp of coffee before bumping the corner of the toast against her lips.

"Just a bit…" he insisted. She sighed exasperatedly and took a decently sized bite. After she swallowed she glanced at Tony.

"Did we hear from Jack yet?"

He shook his head, the corners of his lips twitching at the interaction he was observing. He was so gonna make fun of her for this when she looked less sickly and pathetic.

"No. He said he was going to keep contact as minimal as possible. They'll call if anything changes."

Alex nodded, feeling Rick's fingers squeeze her knee reassuringly. She took another big bite, chewing thoroughly as he nodded with approval. She hadn't felt much like eating since the rescue, but she needed to. Toast was still better than stale protein bars or mixed nuts from the plane anyway.

They'd just settled on some soccer game Tony had pleaded for when the satellite phone rang. Tony snatched it up immediately, shooting a wary look at everyone.

"Hello?" he waited patiently before nodding immediately and motioning towards Alex.

"Yeah, she's right here."

Rising from the couch, Alex accepted the phone and started to move into the kitchen away from company.

"Hello?"

"Hi sweetie," Bill breathed gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. How are things down there? Is Hammond still putting pressure on you?"

"What else is new?" Bill scoffed calmly. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Aly. We're handling it on our end."

"Heard from Karen?"

"Jack and Chase arrived already. They're en route to the location. Hopefully not much longer. How are things up there?"

"Good," Alex smiled a little. "I told Kat to visit her parents until this whole thing blows over. I don't want her implicated in this."

Bill agreed softly.

"How's Tony?"

She gulped in response.

"Okay I think…I hope. We had Eric check him out and he seems to be okay…if he was bleeding internally we'd know by now Eric said. I really think it just grazed him."

"Good. Michelle's fine?"

"Uh huh. We're all just tired I think."  
"And um…things are okay with you and Rick?"

Alex licked her lips. "I think…I think so, yeah. So far so good… It's all out in the open now and um…it's good…I think. I think we're good right now."

Bill sighed softly. "I am sorry about before, Aly."

"I know…it's okay. That's not…that'll be fine…if we all get through this that part will…I think it'll work out alright."

He said nothing for a moment, letting the words sink in for the both of them.

"Aly, Claire's been working with Chloe to try and find out the files Hammond kept on the District server. They finally located the autopsy report on your father."

Her brow creased. "What'd it say?"

There was some shuffling in the background.

"I'll let Claire tell you…" leaving her with some static before her sister's soft voice echoed over the line.

"Hello?"

Alex exhaled, her eyes welling with tears immediately. She hadn't spoken to Claire in ten months and for the first time in a long time she really appreciated that.

"Hi Claire…"

Claire inhaled sharply, her words turning shaky when she spoke again. Alex leaned back against the counter, limbs going a little wobbly.

"Aly…" Claire whimpered, sniffles apparent immediately. For a moment words failed both of them as the reality of the situation overwhelmed them.

"Are you…are you okay? I talked to Rick before and he said…"

"I'm okay, Claire."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. No permanent damage…how are you?"

Claire's voice sounded raspy and Alex wasn't sure whether to attribute that to a bad connection or not.

"Claire…" Alex said gently. "Claire it's okay…"

"It's not okay, Alex!" Claire snapped. "It's not okay that this happened to you. It's not…" she broke off in sobs and Alex soothed her as best she could, tears prickling her own eyes. A few loose ones slid down her cheeks, but she swiped them away quickly.

"We'll get through this; it's gonna be fine."

"You can't promise that."

Alex knew she was right. She insisted now to her sister the same thing Michelle had insisted to her in Africa. Nothing was a guarantee but she felt…she felt like she had to say it.

"What happened with the autopsy report?" Alex checked, changing the subject. "Bill said Chloe decrypted it."

"She did, um…It said…" Claire took a deep breath. "It said Dad was shot."

"Where?"

"The lower right quadrant of his abdomen and through the front of his skull - "

"He was shot twice?" Alex's stomach dropped.

"Yes…Uncle Bill said Rick was the one who…"

"No," Alex declared definitively. "Not twice. He shot him once to get away. He said it wasn't lethal."

"Did he tell you that?"

"Yes," Alex tensed.

"And he's…how sure is he?"

She couldn't help but feel a little grateful with the way Claire gave Rick the benefit of the doubt. Coming from anyone else it might've sounded accusatory but not Claire. Claire was the person who saw the best in everyone; who gave people the benefit of the doubt as often as she could.

"He's sure."

Claire exhaled, processing this.

"Okay so…so why would someone want Dad dead just for the sake of it? Do you have any idea who might've…?"

Hammond. It had to be Hammond…or Warrington. Warrington had been her dad's friend but that didn't mean he wouldn't want to eliminate anything that might implicate him in the matters of that day. If Ben had been arrested he could've sold out Warrington and Hammond. Hammond was the one who sent her on the mission to get rid of her…Hammond, if he was the one who ordered the trigger pulled, had been playing her from the moment she got back to CTU that day.

Sonofabitch.

"It's complicated," she told her sister. "There's stuff to work out still. Hammond's involved somehow and he…if he…"

"You think Hammond…" the horror in her Claire's voice was apparent. Alex sighed patiently to mask the blood pounding through her veins. Hammond had done it…or had someone do it for him. Rick hadn't done a thing; Hammond had played her to get her to participate in the mission. Hammond had known she would…

"I do," somehow saying the words aloud made her blood boil.

"Okay, I have to go now…"

"Aly…"

"You did great, Claire. I'll call you soon…"

"Aly…"

"I have to go. We can't tie up this line for too long in case Jack or Karen are trying to get through."

Claire's protests faded and she agreed softly.

"Okay…just um…I love you," she blurted out. "Please don't do this to me again."

Alex laughed weakly, the tears returning to her eyes and bracing herself against the counter. She suddenly felt weak, drained.

"I love you too," she stuttered a little, tears threatening her again as she disconnected the phone.

It was a minute or two of dead silence later that she looked up at the sound of soft footsteps entering the kitchen. Rick's face was wrought with concern and she realized she had tears streaks down her face and her legs still felt unsteady. Her body rested back against the counter to keep from crumbling to the floor and she knew better than to attribute it to this newly acquired piece of information. The information didn't unnerve her, but hearing what she'd done to her sister certainly did. She hadn't wanted to leave Claire like that but she'd been doing it to protect her. She hadn't had a choice.

Blinking back the remnants of tears she shrugged a little cavalierly as Rick closed the distance between them.

"Claire?"

She nodded, bile thick in the back of her throat.

"Yeah…" she managed. "She had the autopsy report decrypted."

He nodded too, watching her seriously.

"It…" she bit her lip. "There were two bullet wounds…one in the torso and one in the head."

Rick stared at her in disbelief, jaw clenching. "Really…?"

"Yeah um…" she had to ask this.

"Look, shooting a gun is like riding a bike to us so I know you would know if you discharged two bullets instead of one…" she fidgeted a little, watching his eyes narrow a little as he processed her words. "And I'm not saying you did it or I think you did it because I really don't think you did," she added hurriedly. "But if you did have a…_moment_ or something and it all happened really fast I wouldn't blame you for doing it…"

His concern faded a little and she stepped towards him, finding her balance.

"I just need to know…and I don't think you did but…" she tilted her forehead towards his jaw and exhaled. "I just need to know for sure."

Relief flooded through her when his hand ran down her back, arms circling around her as he embraced her fully.

"I'll believe whatever you tell me…" she murmured against his collar. "It's… hearing that just…"

Pulling back he dropped a hand to her chin and forced her to look at him.

"I only fired once, Al. In the torso. I don't know where the second bullet came from."

She nodded eagerly and pursed her lips together, letting him draw her in for a peck to the mouth.

"Thanks."

* * *

When they returned to the other room Tony and Michelle looked up expectantly.

"You okay?"

Alex sniffled a little. "Yeah…just talked to Claire."

Michelle smiled sympathetically as Alex slumped down on the couch, head in her hands. Rick joined her, watching her flinch as he tried to rub her back. Her burns were healing, but they were still sore to the touch. He whipsered gentle apologies, rubbing her leg instead.

"What happened?" Tony asked worriedly. Alex exhaled, bringing her head up to meet his eyes.

"My dad was shot twice. Once in the head. He didn't bleed out, he didn't die in the building collapse he was…"

Tony eyes flashed furiously as her words sunk in.

"Hammond did it."

"Hired someone to do it…yeah. There was no one else unaccounted for in that building at the time. Hammond killed him to get to me."

"Sonofabitch," Tony scowled under his breath. Michelle leaned forward a little, her voice soft and comforting.

"This is just one more thing Hammond's going to get charged with when we get the proof we need," she assured gently. "We just have to wait it out a bit longer."

"And then Palmer will exonerate you and we can put all of this behind us," Rick insisted, hand still on her leg. Alex shook her head hurriedly, fingers tightening in her hair.

"That's the best case scenario," she insisted testily. "Just because you guys say I'm going to get exonerated doesn't mean it's going to happen. I might be running forever…or get arrested or…" she blinked back newly formed tears, hating herself for being so emotional right now. It was the reality of the situation; she could be dead in a week or a month or a few years if Palmer didn't exonerate. She could be running for the rest of her life.

She'd always feared death, but now she really had something to lose. Now Alex had something she wanted to come back to. She couldn't convince herself there was nothing left because what was left was sitting right beside her. He knew what she'd been contemplating and he was going to try and convince her he'd go through hell and high water to stop that from happening to her…

"It's just the way it might go down. We can't change that and we have to be prepared for the worst - "

"Which is you getting killed," Rick snapped back. An eerie silence filled the room. It was the truth.

"What if…" Rick rubbed the side of his cheek, glancing to Tony and Michelle now. "What if I confess - "

Three resounding _nos_ echoed around him and he frowned.

"It was supposed to be me anyway," he insisted.

"It was not," Alex growled. "Hammond was playing me because he knew he could. If I hadn't intervened he wasn't offering you any deal; he would've killed you on route to Federal or something. The only reason he offered me anything was because he thought I'd get killed on the mission and save him some of the dirty work. He just wanted me gone."

"It's not like you ever did anything to him, Al…"

Tony snorted. "C'mon, we all know why Hammond singled Alex out," he declared wryly. "Despite the fact that you never groveled at his feet, he hate you that much when you started at Division, Al?"

Alex smirked a little and snorted too.

"Tony, _you_ didn't even know about us until the day everything happened. Hammond was targeting her because she was sleeping with me for a few weeks?"

"But he knew the reason I was at CTU was because of the way you pushed Bill to agree; he'll know how close we were even before we came to LA…and that was threatening to him," she felt a little nauseous again. "And Tony and I were the ones attending the meetings with him during the Christensen Op and uh…we didn't exactly kiss his ass then. We just…" she took a deep breath. "We had too much power when Tony and Michelle came back. Between the four of us we had control of CTU and I had too much external influence. We were air tight and that made us a threat because he couldn't get in between everyone to get what he wanted,"

"Hammond played the game," Michelle agreed gently. "He wanted the mission to go through to get in Warrington's good books and he wanted rid of Alex because…" she trailed off as Alex's face softened a little.

"He thought if I disappeared you'd fall apart or something I guess…" she finished quietly, angling her eyes towards Rick. He gulped.

"I did," he started hoarsely, throat tight. "He was right about that."

Alex smiled weakly and squeezed his fingers.

"Why…why did Hammond hate Tony enough to…y'know…push for the death penalty?" she asked curiously after a minute. "Overlooking his winning personality, of course…"

Tony rolled his eyes a little.

"I think he just uh…he needed someone to take the fall for Mexico and it had to be me or Jack and…Palmer was protecting Jack and when I…" his eyes lingered on Michelle whose lips pursed tightly in response. "I made it easy for him when I did that."

Alex's frown of concentration deepened.

"What happened in Mexico?"

"The Salazar mission, remember?" she nodded quickly, letting him continue.

"It was off book and uh…" he clawed at the side of his face. "Palmer was pretty pissed about that. The other guy we were running it with – Gael – died in the Chandler Plaza Hotel. Jack had saved Palmer's life and someone had to take the fall when everything was over, so when I…" he lowered his head. "When I did what I did with Saunders and Michelle, y'know…"

"Yeah."

Tony shrugged. "He needed someone to make an example of and I made it pretty easy for them to take action when I did that."

Alex's expression changed suddenly and she stared at Tony as if trying to place something he'd just said. She looked uncertain and Tony stared back.

"What's wrong?"

"When uh…" she turned to Michelle for confirmation. "So this was what…seven, eight years ago?"

"Yeah, 'bout that. It was right after Rick came back from the Middle East. He ran Field Ops while Jack and Chase were undercover."

"And Jack was undercover with the Salazars to try and acquire the Cordilla virus before it hit the black market?" she'd heard this story before, but something in this recount had suddenly struck a cord with Alex and she was trying to place it.

Tony nodded.

"How long was he in Mexico?"

"A year, on and off. He came back and forth as much as he could because of Kim and stuff..."

Alex inhaled sharply, and every pair of eyes turned to stare at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…Nothing…" she shrugged it off. "Just uh…tired I guess…"

Thoughts still running through her head, Alex managed a smile when Rick curled an arm around her comfortably. The baseball game Tony had found made it easy to tune out a little and process whatever wheels had just slid into place inside her head. Something…if what she'd just realized was true she didn't know whether she was simply more confused or if things suddenly made more sense.

The crack of a bat connecting startled her and Rick shifted, lying back against the arm of the couch and pillowing her head against his chest. The delicious warmth of his skin through his shirt and his even breathing relaxed her enough that she forgot her considerations for the moment.

But she'd be talking to Jack when this was all over…that much was for certain.

* * *

"Alright, …" It was mid-afternoon and Tony had crouched down to peer into the video cabinet beside Alex, studying the plethora of DVDs Kathryn's family had acquired over the years. When asking what everyone wanted to watch Michelle and Rick had insisted they had no preference. They'd opted to do the leftover dishes from lunch, leaving Tony and Alex to duke out the movie selection.

"Let's see what we got here…"

Alex rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation.

"You're gonna pick one of those "classics" you loved when you were ten, aren't you?" She crouched down beside him and he nudged her playfully.

"Maybe. What's it to ya?"

Alex sighed again. "I gotta tell ya, Tony, I've kind of become accustomed to movies with color picture…and sound."

She laughed loudly when Tony elbowed her in the side, threatening to send her falling to the ground in a heap. She latched onto his wrist for balance, shoving him lightly as he shoved back. He reached for her free hand, trapping both arms around her body with a grin, balancing them both precariously.

"Better than watching Bugs Bunny cartoons, Al."

"I could get out of this, y'know," she declared matter-of-factly.

"Don't wanna hurt me?" he teased.

"No more than necessary. You did just get shot."

Pushing back she rocked on the balls of her feet, grasping at whatever she could to keep herself balanced. Tony laughed softly and shook his head just as Michelle and Rick returned. With a patronizing look he rose to his feet, DVD case clasped in his hand as he pulled Alex up. He tossed the case against her chest, leaving her to frown a little at the title.

"I've never seen it," she declared, glancing up at Rick and Michelle who had settled back on the couches. Michelle was wrapped herself up in a blanket again and waited expectantly for Tony to come join her. The room had darkened around them significantly in the last few minutes and she'd flicked on a lap, a chill running down her spine at the sound of rain on the windows and patio doors.

"That's because you're a baby," Tony reminded her helpfully, now on his knees in front of the DVD player and fiddling with some buttons.

"What is it?" Michelle piped in. Alex's brow was still creased as she handed the disk to Tony and the case to Michelle.

"Psycho?" Michelle's nose crinkled a little. "I don't think I've ever seen it either actually."

Tony had just started to lambast his beloved wife when Rick erupted with a chuckle.

"I think I was fooling around during it…Halloween at the drive-in…remember that place, Tony?"

Tony's cheeks tinged the slightest shade of pink, but he shook it off quickly.

"Why am I not surprised…" he mumbled rhetorically as he stood up again. Suddenly Michelle started giggling, hand covering her mouth in obvious embarrassment. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"What?" Tony demanded as he squished onto the couch beside her, arm draped over the back. "What now?"

Alex was fumbling with the remotes to get the movie to play when Michelle spoke.

"I um…" her cheeks flamed, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I might have had a similar experience actually…"

Alex and Rick both cackled loudly as Tony's eyes widened in horror.

"It was Halloween too, actually. Sophomore year…had a few drinks and…" she turned impossibly redder. "The guy was cute and I was a little buzzed and…"

Rick laughed his approval just as Tony growled.

"Who?"

Michelle sighed patiently and patted his knee. "Someone I had a few classes with."

"I want a name, Michelle."

"What're ya gonna do, Tony?" Rick rolled his eyes. "Track down the guy who's married with three kids because your wife got a little action that wasn't you?"

Tony growled again under his breath and Rick snorted. Some days he wouldn't put it past Tony to pull something like that.

"I want a _list_ of names, Michelle," he deadpanned over Alex's giggles. He turned to face Alex, pointing a finger with an unimpressed glance.

"That goes for you too, kiddo."

"A list of names of anyone I've ever made out with during a movie?" Michelle struggled to contain her guffaws at how ridiculous it sounded. Rick sniggered.

"Shouldn't you disclose the same then, Tony?" he chimed in helpfully. "I remember a few times with uh…wait, what was her name? Your senior year of college - "

"Never mind," Tony cut him off, glancing back at Alex now. "Just start the damn thing and don't say anything about any whatevers during any movie, got it?"

Michelle laughed softly, smoothing back some of his hair. His face felt hot to touch and his aggravation was apparent with his slightly labored breathing. He made it too easy for them to gang up on him.

"It was ages ago, honey," she cooed softly.

"Still doesn't mean I wanna hear about any of it."

"Well there's nothing to hear about for me," Alex sing-songed simply. "I don't have any "making out during a move" stories. Don't worry."

To her surprise, Rick frowned and poked her in the side, starting to protest.

"What about when we - ?"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as during a movie when you're turning off said movie ten minutes in…" she stopped him before he could finish the sentence and laughed at Tony's exasperated groan. Rick slid her a little closer to him.

"No one?"

"Nope."

"_Ever_?"

"Ever…I know; shocking."

Now Michelle frowned a little.

"Not even in college? High school?"

"Nope."

"That's…" Michelle's expression shifted. "That's kind of sad."

"Michelle!" Tony looked appalled. Alex laughed good-naturedly.

"I only meant, that sometimes it's nice to just kiss," Michelle began softly. "Kissing is fun."

Alex shrugged. "I dunno…wasn't fitting of whatever circumstances I was in at the time I guess. I was only in college a year before I went to Langley…" she paused for a beat. "But I bet I trump all of you in random, drunk, sloppy bar makeouts that never get beyond that and you wish to forget the next morning – "

" – Play the movie, will ya Al?" Tony cut her off.

"You started it."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't try anything funny over the next few days to make up for lost time; I don't wanna see that," he reminded her flatly. Alex rolled her eyes, settling back comfortably as she pressed play. Rick snickered.

"I'll try to contain myself."

* * *

Michelle swallowed a little at the unpleasant taste in her mouth, sweating slightly and rinsing her hands under the tap. The cream Alex had asked her to rub in upon emerging from the shower – the same one they'd been using since Tokyo – had made Michelle queasy for no apparent reason. It had been fine before, but it had nauseated her tonight.

Rinsing out her mouth she felt her stomach cramp a little and frowned. The feeling tired, the intensified sense of smell, the fact that they'd been trying for the last…her gut told her it could only be one thing, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. The circumstances they were currently in weren't the best time to be dropping any extra bombs.

Brushing her teeth quickly and splashing some water on her flushed cheeks Michelle emerged from the master bathroom to find Tony already having slumped to the bed. He looked exhausted too, hands resting beneath his head and eyes had already closed. Smiling a little in amusement, Michelle ran a hand over her stomach before tiptoeing towards the bed, killing the lamp on her way. Soft, cotton sheets were cold to the touch and she curled up against Tony's warmth. Without opening his eyes he pulled her closer, shifting enough to let her tug the blankets around them. She shivered again and kissed his collar. He murmured something soft and nuzzled her temple.

"Tony…"

"Mhm…" he was already half asleep, barely finding the energy to answer her. Now, with actual time to rest, their travels were taking a toll on all of them. Half an hour into the first movie she'd conked out against him, snuggling close and encouraging him to hold her. When she'd woken he'd insisted Rick had followed her to sleep quickly, leaving Alex only a little bit awake to finish the movie. The rainy day and the dark skies coupled with squishy couches and warm bodies had lulled everyone into a comfortable state. A long, lazy afternoon cuddled up on the couch had been exactly what the doctor ordered.

Feeling him curl against her impossibly closer she smiled, brushing her fingers across his stubbly cheek. He hummed and she kissed him again, inhaling deeply and feeling her eyes sting a little.

"I love you," she spoke softly and felt him tighten his hold for a brief instant, obviously having heard her words.

"I love you too, honey," he murmured. "Go to sleep."

Content, Michelle settled against him, pushing thoughts of what might be out of her head. She'd worry about it later; tonight she just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Rick flinched as he watched from the bed as Alex shrugged off the towel, her back to him and her arm wrapped around her breasts. She'd already stepped back into boxers and scanned their things for a clean t-shirt. It was the first time he'd seen her marked up back and was conflicted between making a deal out of it or pretending like it was nothing. In the end, he chose something in between. After she'd finished changing he rose from the bed without a word, turning her to face him and cupping her face in his hands. With a heavy sigh, he kissed her softly. Alex quickly shook her head when he started to speak and kissed him back, breathing softly against his lips that she was okay. He nodded quickly and pressed their mouths together again, keeping her close for a little longer.

"It's fine," she insisted, hands on his cheeks now. She had to blink and look away at the tenderness in his eyes. She still wasn't used to all this.

"It's healing…I'll be fine in a few weeks."

His breath rattled in his chest at the thought of what they'd done to her when she was imprisoned, but he tried to keep the worry off his face.

"So if I see any of them again I shouldn't rip their head off…?"

She laughed lightly, knowing he wasn't really teasing.

"You'll have to beat me too it," she assured him wryly. This got a chuckle out of him and he led her back to the bed and they slid beneath the covers. Her eyes were already starting to droop when her head hit the pillow again.

"I keep…" he gulped hard, not wanting to burden her with this now. "It's just you're…and they…and I had no fucking clue until a week ago. They were doing that to you and I was at home, bitter and thinking you'd…"

"I'm fine; you worry too much," she assured him drowsily. Dragging herself along the mattress she pressed her face into his shoulder as his arm curled around her.

"Can't help it…" he was surprised with the way his throat tightened as he spoke and she settled her weight against him. "You give me lots of reasons to worry…"

Alex yawned in response, nuzzling closer and breathing a _sorry_ against his neck.

"It's over, Rick," her words were barely audible, even as close to his ear as they were. God, he loved her like this.

"Let's just…think'boutsomethingelse…" she blurted out, already half-gone.

"I'm thinking you should just marry me so you can take me with you next time," he breathed, the words out of his mouth before he'd even realized he'd been thinking along those lines. He waited for her to tense and lift her head to stare at him like he was crazy. Instead she squished closer and yawned.

"Mhm…what'dyousay?" her face was smushed against his chest and he had to strain to hear her response. Laughing quietly, he smoothed a hand down her back gently and kissed her cheek.

"I said all I'm thinking about right now is keeping you with me for good this time."

When he received no response he knew she was out cold.


	14. Audience of One

Bruised

**A/N:**_ I'm sososososo sorry with the delay for this chapter. Between working and studying I just haven't found time to write much. I hope it was worth the wait! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. _

_Enjoy! _

Chapter Thirteen – Audience of One

_We're all ok, until the day we're not_

_The surface shines, while the inside rots_

_We raced the sunset and we almost won_

_We slammed the brakes, but the wheels went on_

_**- Audience of One by Rise Against**_

_"Mom?" Sixteen-year-old Alex Evans moved swiftly down the staircase, pushing frizzy, blond waves out of her eyes. It was late and they'd got caught in a torrent hiking up 8__th__ avenue to find a cab after the show. Finally Claire had hailed one and they'd all piled in, smelling a little like wet dog but no worse for the wear. It was nice; running down 8__th__ avenue in the pouring rain and stumbling over curbs in heels and trying in vain to keep her black and gold Marc Jacobs number from getting completely soaked had been fun in a reckless kind of way. They didn't get nights like that much, but when they did Alex relished every second of it. _

_Now Alex shuffled towards the kitchen over the hardwood floors, not really wanting to bring up the subject and kill the mood of the night but not really having a choice. If they were going to leave they had to leave now. Her father was only away on business for a few more days and despite what her mother insisted Alex wanted to try. Bill said he'd find a way to protect them and keep her father from finding them and she believed him; they had to at least try. _

_Purposefully she moved across the floor, calling out again. Alex was about to shout a third time when the sound of her mother's soft voice caused her to freeze dead in her tracks. She sounded upset and Alex's mind went immediately back to the mysterious number that had appeared on her mom's phone during intermission. Alex had been alone in her seat when the call had been received and her brow had creased at the unknown number. Long-distance. She'd been intending to look up the area code as soon as she got home, but amidst the mugs of steaming hot chocolate and cozy PJs it had slipped her mind. She'd been too content to curl up on the wingback chair in the den while Claire and her mom curled up under a blanket and found some silly sitcom to amuse themselves with. A long-distance phone call hadn't so important then…no matter how mysterious. _

_But now the call had returned to the forefront of Alex's mind. As good as her mother's mood had been, she'd also been distracted from the moment she returned to her seat and noticed the call. She'd seemed…on edge, like she was waiting for something. Whoever it was that had to be who her mom was on the line with now. She thought both daughters were in bed and she'd been itching all night to make the call, Alex was certain. Soundlessly, Alex slipped to the door of the kitchen and poked her head around the corner. Diana Evans leaned over the counter, back to her daughter and one hand cradling her cell phone against her face. The other buried in her hair. _

_The name of whoever was on the other end of the phone got muffled and Alex heard her mother's soft sniffle. _

_"He's only gone for two more days," Diana insisted to the other person softly. "I can't do this without you…" _

_Alex missed the name again and her brow creased. The desperation in her mother's voice was unparalleled to anything Alex had ever heard before and her fingers clenched at the doorframe, not daring to breathe. What the hell was going on? _

_"Please…" Diana's voice was low. "You're back from Mexico, aren't you? It could be over before you before you have to leave again…" _

_Her mother's voice shifted from desperation to fury. _

_"If you're not going to do this for me then at least for Alex…" she snapped. "In sixteen years I never once asked for anything from you but if we don't…it's now or never." _

_Alex's breath caught in her throat. __**Who the hell was her mom talking to?**_

_"John, please…it's not like I'm asking you to leave the country. Your contacts wouldn't even have to know you weren't in LA. It wouldn't take long." _

_Her mother hiccupped, the desperation having returned. _

_"We have to figure this out __**now**__…" she insisted. "If…the way things are going…he's going to take it too far one day. Bill keeps pushing us to run but…I'm afraid if I do he'll find us and hurt the girls too…"  
A brief pause as the John-person responded. _

_"And god knows when that'll be! We can't hold out forever! You know what he's like, John!" _

_Diana exhaled sharply and sniffled some more. _

_"Please…please, just…for Alex. She tries so hard to stop him from…she doesn't deserve this. None of this was her fault, it was mine. She doesn't deserve any of this and she's paying for it as much as I am. Some nights more. If you won't try for me at least…" _

_A loose sob escaped Diana's throat and Alex felt her chest tighten at her mother's words. She had no idea what was going on or who she was calling but…_

_"That's…okay…one month. We can wait that long." _

_Alex realized her own eyes were damp for no apparent reason. One month until what? What was this person going to do for them that Bill couldn't? Why was this going to give them an out they hadn't had before...? _

_Diana Evans's breath rattled in her chest and she swiped her hand a cross her cheeks. Her blue eyes shone with tears as she started to turn around and Alex pulled back, pressing herself against the wall and holding her breath. She blinked hard, willing her own tears to disappear as she listened to her mother's final, shaky words. _

_"Thank you, John." _

_What. The. Fuck.

* * *

_

SOUTHAMPTON, NY

Two days later Alex padded across the kitchen floor, tiles cold against her bare feet. She shuddered, waiting for Tony to notice her entrance. When he failed to turn around from the percolating coffee pot she closed the distance between them and bumped her hip lightly against his, laughing when he scowled in surprise. Angling his gaze towards her, he rubbed the side of his cheeks and mumbled a _hey_.

"Morning sunshine," she drawled sarcastically, slinging an arm casually around his shoulders. Tony snorted as she leaned against him, tugging gently on her straggly ponytail.

"Morning…you want coffee…"

Alex shot him a dubious look and Tony chuckled. He reached for another mug with one hand and squeezed her waist with the other.

"Where's the other one?"

Her eyes sparkled delightedly. "You mean your baby brother? He's still asleep. We had a late night…guess I tuckered him out - "

She laughed loudly when Tony walloped her affectionately in the side and groaned. In reality she and Rick hadn't gotten much further than first base, sharing long, lazy kisses whenever they could. It was strange being with him like that. She was so used to the focus being sex and need with little instances of the other stuff mixed in – things that always threw her for a loop – and now they couldn't do that. Now sex was off the table for at least a little while and all there was were those little instances. All there was easy were kisses and soft caresses and quiet conversation between the two of them. It was soothing being with him like that. She knew where he stood now and he her so there were no implications to be drawn from any of it. It was what it was, and Alex had to admit she liked that. A lot.

As her snickers died down Tony snuck a glance at her face, brow creasing as he released her to fill their mugs.

"You sleeping any better?" he asked seriously.

She shrugged as she ducked her head into the fridge and retrieved some milk.

"A bit I guess. He doesn't sleep when I'm…he didn't sleep at all the first night here. He said I'm waking up less but…" she shrugged it off and took an overly eager gulp of coffee.

"He could just be saying that though. I was kinda bugging him about needing sleep too. Last night I was gonna sneak out to the pullout but he woke up. I might try again tonight. He might not notice; he's tired enough."

Tony snorted dryly and sipped his own coffee. He couldn't remember a time after those first few weeks of their relationship that he didn't notice when Michelle wasn't in bed with him. Thoughts of those months without her – during the divorce, during her capture – reminded him of how he'd never slept right then. He'd rather just not sleep at all than sleep without her beside him. If Rick was anything like him he'd rather have every ounce of strength sapped from his body than have to worry about where Alex was and why she wasn't with him. Those months without her had been hell for him, anyone could see that, and her sneaking out to the couch in the middle of the night wasn't going to be happening. Tony would've put money on that.

"Yeah, well uh, it'll get easier."

"Sleep?" She muttered dryly under her breath. Tony nodded gently, squeezing her shoulder. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were filled with worry.

"Yeah," Tony lowered his gaze and fingered his mug. "And then knowing you, you'll think of some other way to make him worry about you."

Alex laughed softly. Wasn't that the truth. To her surprise, Tony didn't look amused. Instead, his shoulders had tensed and his jaw tightened.

"What?"

He looked puzzled. "What?"

She poked his cheek lightly. "What's that face?"

Tony exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Michelle's not herself. These last few days she's seemed out of it."

"We're all burnt out, Tony. That doesn't mean - "

"I'm worried she's sick or something. She was in the bathroom all yesterday morning and then again at night and she's not eating much. Maybe she caught something and doesn't want to tell me…"

"I'm sure she's fine."

"That's what she said when I asked her about it. She's not fine, Al. I know how she gets."

Alex nodded patiently.

"I'll talk to her if you want. Maybe she just doesn't want to tell you she has horrendous cramps or something," she teased lightly, nudging him. Tony made a face.

"Or maybe she's just worried herself sick about some idiot she's kind of attached to who thought it might be a good idea to get shot - "

"I'm fine," he retorted.

"Shocking," she deadpanned. "Keep it that way, will ya?"

He smirked a little and smoothed back some of her flyaway hairs, inclining his head in agreement.

After a few minutes of lingering, Tony suggested they move into the living room, (even agreeing to check the score of the previous evening's Yankee game at Alex's behest). He propped his feet up on the coffee table, snatching the remote out of her reach and waiting for her to settle. When she didn't he turned to stare, watching her pacing around aimlessly.

"You gonna stand there all morning?"

The color drained from her cheeks and she clamped down on her lower lip, folding her arms across her chest.

"I have to ask you something."

Tony's brow creased and he shifted a little on the couch.

"You okay?"

"Yeah I just…" she twitched a little before sinking down on the couch beside him and curling her legs beneath her.

"What do you know about Nightfall?" she asked hurriedly.

"What? Why do you…"

"Jack knew my dad. Carl told me. They were in Serbia together and when he came back was when my dad started…and Jack was there and…"

Tony's eyes widened and he reached out to rub her arm.

"You're okay?"

"He knew my mom," she blurted out. "Carl said I looked like her and that Jack knew her too and…"

"Did you ask Jack about it?"

"Not yet. I tried to before but…and there's something else…"

"What?"

"When…" she blinked quickly a few times. "I was sixteen and it was a few weeks before my mom died and my dad was out of town and she got a phone call and I think…" she licked her lips anxiously. "She said something about them being in Mexico and I did the math and it…" she shifted again, breathing raspy. Tony's mouth hung slightly agape.

"Jack was in Mexico at the time I think. It was right around…" just as another pair of footsteps resonated through the small bungalow. Alex quickly stood from the couch again, anxiousness leaving her face.

"No one knows but you. Don't say anything, okay?"

Tony stared at her bewildered just as the footsteps grew closer and she rose from her seat. Seconds later Rick emerged in rumpled clothes, with bed head and scruffy cheeks, his eyes only partially open. Stumbling a little, he curled an arm around Alex, dipping his head for a kiss and steadying himself against her.

"You're up already…" he commented dumbly. Tony snickered quietly as Alex nodded, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. She used her free hand to smooth back some hair, as his face moved to her neck, brushing his lips across it and eliciting a shiver from her. When she regained her composure, Alex shot a little eye roll in Tony's direction just for good measure before turning back to Rick.

"You look like hell, go back to bed."

He shook his head immediately, lips touching her shoulder as he spoke softly into her skin.

"I'm good…" he pulled her in tighter. "Couldn't sleep anyway."

"You want coffee?"

Again, he shook his head, urging her onto the couch and curling his body snuggly around hers, leaving her only half sitting up. She took a long drag of her beverage, not sure whether she liked the sensation of hot coffee sliding down her throat or his fingers pressing lightly against her flesh more. His cheek nuzzled her sternum, clearly urging her to finish her coffee so he could pull her into a full-recline and sleep with his face pressed against her neck. Her stomach clenched a little at the way he held her. Even after a few days it was still hard to believe they were here…like this.

Rick was almost completely back to sleep when Tony found the channel they were looking for. Throwing another glance in his direction, Alex smirked as Rick cuddled closer.

"Must be an Almeida thing," she remarked, knowing Rick had given Tony enough ammo to tease him for the rest of his life. At least they were both on an even playing field now.

Tony chuckled, relaxing against the back of the couch and letting his eyes shut.

"It's why you tolerate us, really."

This time, Alex laughed as her fingers combed through Rick's hair. Her lips curved into a smirk and her eyes flickered delightedly.

"That's one reason."

* * *

It was over an hour later when Rick finally snapped back to consciousness, realizing the still-chilled body that had rested beside him the entire time had disappeared again. As soon as Alex had risen from the couch Rick had stirred, making a discontented noise and glancing around the room hurriedly. Tony observed for a moment with obvious amusement before speaking.

"She went to check on Michelle," he explained. Rick immediately sat up, frown setting on his face as his rubbed his scruffy cheek.

"Why? Is Michelle okay?"

Tony nodded unconvincingly, but Rick didn't push it any further. He was just about to grab some coffee for himself when the satellite phone rang. Tony's jaw clenched, reaching over to answer it.

"Tony, it's Karen," the crisp voice clipped over the line.

"Hey Karen, how's it going over there - "

"We have proof."

"What?" He stared blankly at nothing. Rick waited expectantly to be updated, but Tony ignored him for the moment. "You…you do?"

"Yes. The warehouse Tom led me to was empty, but the trail was still hot. Whatever was there was removed in a hurry," she explained calmly. "They knew we were onto them. Chloe was able to decrypt what was on the computer we found. It mentioned a storage facility in Tacoma. That's where we were yesterday. It's all there – all the documents implicating Warrington. Combine that with what Claire and Chloe found on the District server, the autopsy report, your testimony… We have everything we need."

"Good," Tony rested his head in his hand, exhaling softly as the words sunk in. It was his fault if anything happened to Alex – his fault she was even in this mess – and hearing that they were almost in the clear just…

"That's good."

"It's very good," Karen remarked simply. "Jack and Chase are compiling the documents we all found and getting them to Wayne. He's in LA at the moment."

"Alright, so, you just want us to lie low here for a few more days or - "

"We'll meet you in LA - "

"You want us to take her _where_?"

"To LA. Tonight. Everything will be in place by the time you land."

"And if not?" he growled.

"If it's only a matter of time until Hammond finds you. Get to LA and wait for my instructions…"

"Hammond could have people waiting to arrest her as soon as we step off that plane, Karen. He could make her disappear before Palmer even sees any of it."

"I'll take care of that. Don't worry."

"Does Bill know this is the plan?" Tony's eyes flashed and Rick's turned worried.

"Of course Bill knows," Karen snapped. "I'm telling you the last place Hammond will expect her to be is LA. He's got the FBI in on this too, Tony; he's exhausting every lead you give him. Come to LA and keep her hidden until I give you the all clear. I'll deal with Hammond."

Tony glanced at Rick who mouthed a worried "what?" but Tony shook his head quickly, going back to the call.

"We have to be realistic," Karen insisted. "This is our best move right now. You have to work with us, Tony…"

Tony's jaw clenched as he contemplated Karen's words. She had a point, he knew, but he was having a tough time justifying taking Alex back into the lion's den. Keeping her safe was his priority, nothing else.

"Tony, I wouldn't suggest this if I thought I was hurting her by doing so," she remarked. "I've been working as hard as all of you from day one; I'm trying to help her, that's all. This is for the best. I need you to trust me."

With a heavy sigh, Tony agreed.

"Fine," he clawed at the side of his face. "We'll go back to LA."

"Tony…" Rick warned. Tony ignored him.

"Good," Karen voiced her approval. "Leave as soon as you can and let me know what flight you're on. I'll keep you posted on what happens with the President."

"Alright," Tony bit his lip and inclined his head a little. "We'll be in touch."

Hanging up the phone, Tony braced himself a little before turning back to his brother. Rick glared him now.

"She's not going back to LA. Not unless Palmer signs the papers."

"Karen thinks it's best to move now - "

"I don't care. She's not going back."

Scratching the side of his cheek, Tony leaned forward a little in his seat.

"Hammond's got someone on our trail. They know we were in New York."

"Then I'll get her out of here myself, but she's not going back to LA," Rick finished icily, as if daring Tony to challenge him.

"Where ya gonna take her?" Tony probed. Rick had no immediate answer. "We're trying to finish this, not stay one step ahead of Hammond. You want her to keep having to run forever?"

"I'll do whatever I have to do to keep her alive."

Tony sighed, rising from his seat and slumping down beside his brother. He clasped Rick's shoulder firmly.

"We have proof," he insisted, not sure where this wave of optimism had come from. He had a feeling it had more to do with reassuring Rick the course of action they'd taken was the best than his complete agreement with the plan. For this to work they all had to be on the same page, and the two of them having doubts wouldn't help that.

"Karen's gonna get all the documents signed and before you know it this'll all be over. The last thing you need is Palmer rethinking the situation because of a technicality. People who have nothing to hide don't run. You know how that would look to - "

"The circumstances aren't exactly that cut and dry, are they? If Hammond's guys find her and Palmer takes too long…" he trailed off, gritting his teeth.

"That won't happen," Tony insisted firmly as he watched his brother's eyes cloud over, his expression pained.

"Just trust me. We won't let that won't happen. We can hold off Hammond for as long as it takes. We didn't get this far with this to have it all fall apart now," Tony assured him softly. "A little longer and this whole thing's over and she gets to come home."

"A lot of things have to go right for this to work - "

"No they don't," Tony cut him off. "How much of this has gone right since we left LA? Nothing's going the way we planned it to but we're dealing. We just have to get through this last little bit and then you…" Tony swallowed and blinked an instant longer than necessary. "And then you get to take her home. For good…"

Rick gulped a little, eyes stinging at the words. He wanted to take her home – _home, _home – so badly.

"She's tired," Tony told him gently. "I know she's fighting through it, but we both know she's exhausted. She doesn't have much left in her. If we take her back there's no running anymore. If Karen says she'll come through for us, she'll come through; she's not gonna hang Al out to dry."

Rick exhaled, running his fingers through his hair and nodding understandingly. He knew Tony made sense.

"Okay…okay, we'll get her to LA and worry about what has to happen next when we get there."

Tony flinched, wondering how he'd managed to seem so convincing when he himself was still torn. Still, he knew what he'd said was true. Karen would come through from them…he really did believe that.

"So you wanna tell 'em or should I?"

* * *

LOS ANGELES, CA

"Buchanan."

"Bill, it's Jack," the other man's voice growled over the phone. Bill glanced around quickly, scanning the vicinity for anyone suspicious before ducking quickly into his office.

"What's going on? Have you heard from the President - "

"Not yet. He had a meeting with some of the Secretaries with regards to the new trade policies with the Chinese. Karen left a message with Tom Lennox and he said he'd let President Palmer know as soon as possible.

"Any word from Tony?"

"They should be landing within the hour. The documents won't be ready yet so Hammond will still be looking for her. I told Tony to lie low."

"Do you know where they'll go?"

"CTU. Taking her to anyone's home is too risky; Hammond will have people watching for that. I'm on my way there now with Chase. It shouldn't be too much longer."

Bill's chest tightened with worry.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea Jack. Hammond's splashed her face all over our wanted list. Anyone could see her…"

"They'll keep her hidden. The four of them know CTU as well as anyone. They'll find somewhere discrete and no one will even notice she's there…"

"It only takes one person, Jack."

Jack cleared his throat, considering Bill's words for a moment.

""CTU is the safest place for her right now – it's the last place he'll think to look and we have resources there and people that are loyal to them. It's familiar territory, but it's the one place Hammond thinks we won't dare go. It's the best place I can think of to keep her until this all blows over."

Bill sighed, clawing at his forehead. "Alright, alright. I need to head over to CTU myself anyway…"

"Why?" Jack

Bill pursed his lips together, tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk distractedly.

"You know I've been monitoring the chatter with the Chinese since the escape."

"Something's changed?" Jack asked immediately. Bill's head dropped a little. He'd wondered if he was being overly paranoid because of Alex, even though his gut told him no. Jack agreeing with him that things were suspicious would only confirm what he feared.

"The chatter's died down, there's been almost nothing for two days. So either the Chinese have given up on finding her…"

"Or they found her already…Damnit."

"I'm going to head over to CTU in a few minutes to see if Chloe can do anything with the frequency, but beyond that…"

"I'll let Tony know. Keep me posted."

"You too."

Wearily, Bill hung up the phone, stomach churning uncomfortably. Sometimes he really hated it when Jack agreed with him.

* * *

Eva Jacobs frowned heavily as she watched Rick Almeida return from wherever he had been. From her desk in Comm. she'd watched him enter the bullpen almost an hour before for the first time in two weeks, seeming completely distracted and not even acknowledging her excited jolt. No one had noticed, but that didn't mean she didn't feel stupid half-sitting and half-standing and waiting eagerly for him to at least offer a greeting. Butterflies had bubbled up in the pit of her stomach as she watched him cross the room. He'd been gone for ages and had left her one lone message, saying he was detained in DC and nothing more. It wasn't a good sign, all things considered, but she knew how those meetings could get and they _had _only gone on a few dates. It wasn't like he was obligated to her. He was busy – and extremely stressed from the looks of it – she could understand that.

The first thing he'd done upon arriving was drag Nadia up to his office, conferencing on what Eva could only assume were the last few days. It had been relatively quiet, especially for CTU, but their Director's absence had definitely been felt by everybody. Especially her. Hopefully he just needed a few days to get back into the swing of things.

Now he was back on the floor having spent over half an hour with Nadia and another fifteen minutes downstairs. She looked up expectantly, watching him drop his head to speak quietly to one of the analysts, his expression serious as he scribbled something down and pulled away. Still he made no acknowledgement of her, choosing instead to make a beeline for Claire's desk and press a hand to her shoulder, hunching over low to her ear.

* * *

"Claire," Rick's soft voice made Claire jump a little, but she managed to stay focused on her screen.

"You're back," she blurted out a little too quickly. She'd stiffened as soon as he touched her, her spine remaining rigid as her fingers slid furiously across the keys. Her eyes were shiny and her vision was starting to blur. Rick tugged gently on a lock of hair.

"Is um…" she gulped. "Is everything…okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"Where were you?"  
"New York."

Forgetting her resolve, Claire spun around in her seat and stared at him, eyes the size of saucers.

"Really?"

He nodded softly, a smile touching his lips.

"And…" her words came shaky but she managed to get them out. "And now?"

Glancing around them casually, he pulled out her chair and indicated for Claire to follow him.

* * *

Now Eva frowned as she watched Claire and Rick disappear down a corridor. Perhaps they were going to go over the new systems updates. That made sense; he had a lot to catch up on. Maybe she should just go say hi to him first. Maybe he felt bad for canceling their date and thought she was mad at him…

It wouldn't take long, just a quick, casual hello to let him know she was still in the same place she'd been in when she left. She wouldn't interrupt him for long.

Pleased with her proactive decision, Eva slid out of her chair, following them down the hallway.

* * *

"Try and relax, will ya?"

"Bill said Jack and Chase were on their way?"

Tony nodded softly, watching Alex pace the room. He was reclined on the couch in the Field Ops break room, Michelle's legs were draped across his lap and he'd stretched out a hand, combing his fingers through her hair lazily. She'd been keeping him close even since leaving the confines of their cozy retreat in the Hamptons. He definitely wasn't complaining.

"Honey, sitdown," Michelle encouraged softly, tangling her fingers with Tony's reflexively. "We just have to sit tight and this'll all be over soon, okay?"

Alex had just agreed breathlessly when there was a soft knock at the door. They all jumped about a mile before Rick poked his head in warily.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I haven't heard from Bill yet but uh…I thought you might want some company…"

Alex's whole body tensed in anticipating of who "company" was. A light blond head ducked around the corner and Alex's breath caught in her throat. Wet blue-green eyes met hers a second before her sister hurtled herself across the room. Tony and Rick both called out a warning, Tony jumping to his feet and Rick stepping towards them as Claire's tiny body collided hard with hers. Alex winced at the impact and the pain in her side but otherwise returned her sister's vice grip.

"Oh my god," Claire whimpered, pressing her face into her sister's shoulder. Alex felt tears dampen her t-shirt and lifted Claire closer, rubbing her back soothingly and murmuring reassuring words.

"It's okay, Claire," she soothed. Claire squeezed her impossibly tighter.

"I thought you were dead…" she yelped, voice breaking as the she shook uncontrollably.

"I know, I know," Alex breathed gently into her hair, her throat tightening as she fought to keep her own tears at bay. "I'm sorry, Claire. I'm sorry…"

Finally Claire pulled back, face stained with tears and eyes rife with worry. She reached out a hand to graze Alex's bruises.

"Are you okay?" she asked desperately, cupping Alex's cheeks as she quivered a little. Alex nodded, curling an arm around her and dragging her in close again.

"I'm okay, Claire…"

"You look like hell…"

"It'll be okay..."

Claire's head bobbed vigorously against Alex, who glanced around the room, a little uncomfortable with the overt display of affection. Palming the back of Claire's head she met Michelle's gaze, offering her a little smile and getting one in return.

After a few minutes Claire pulled away again, eyes red and puffy and tugging a little at the restraint Alex held on her own emotions. With a heavy sigh she pressed a kiss to the top of her sister's head, thumbs brushing tear streaks from Claire's icy cheeks.

"You should get back," Alex murmured affectionately, still stroking her hair. "Big shot CTU analyst and all."

Claire managed a weak laugh, nodding a little. "I wanted to be here if you needed me and then you were gone so long and I…"

Alex shushed her fresh sobs, hugging her close one final time. When Claire pulled back she turned immediately to Rick.

"Hammond's had that APB out for days."

Rick nodded, glancing briefly at Tony and rubbing his cheek.

"Yeah. He won't think we were stupid enough to bring her here. We just have to keep this quiet. You can't tell anyone."

"Okay…" Claire agreed readily. "I won't, I swear. But this'll…I mean Bill said…"

"We're just waiting on Palmer," Rick assured her simply. "It'll be over soon, I promise."

Claire exhaled harshly, wiping her eyes again.

"C'mon," Rick held out a hand to her. "We have to get back."

"You better deal with Eva. She's been hounding me about you since you disappeared," Claire blurted out suddenly, startling Rick a little at her bluntness. "She's gonna be on top of you until you do something or say something or…"

Rick's eyes locked on hers, wondering if she was testing him a little. She didn't look accusatory, but she definitely knew what she was implying. Across the room Tony's eyebrow raised in his direction and Rick shifted his weight a little. He shrugged off the question.

"I will…" he pressed a hand in the small of her back, easing her towards the door.

"Take a minute. Get cleaned up," he told her quietly. "I'll see you on the floor."

Claire turned around at the last possible second, shooting Alex a fleeting look before disappearing out the door.

Rick exhaled softly, glancing around the empty corridor as Alex took a few steps towards him. Her arms crossed her chest and her head dipped a little to one side as he turned back to face the room.

He opened his mouth to explain but she shrugged him off.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now unless uh…you're holding out on me or something."

He shook his head slowly, grin spreading across his lips as he motioned her towards him, tugging her into the empty hallway. His hands cupped her face, pressing their mouths together softly. Her lips parted a little at the easy kiss, bumping her nose against as he broke away, albeit reluctantly.

"You're okay?"  
"Yeah…" she sniffled before sneaking another kiss, loving at easy this came to her now. After the time they spent in the Hamptons it was so natural to kiss him. Like it should be, she reminded herself. She should be able to steal a kiss and curl up against him and not worry about what anyone might think.

"You'll let me know if you hear anything?"

" 'Course," he brushed the loose tears from her cheeks and dropped a kiss to her temple, before breaking contact again.

"Sit tight. I'll be back."

* * *

From her position Eva could see almost everything, including a teary-eyed Claire slipping from the old, now unused Field Ops break room and disappearing towards the washroom. Seconds later Rick's head poked out, scanning the area quickly before pulling someone into the corridor with him…

It was dark, but there was no mistaking who the girl was, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise exactly like the file photo Brad Hammond had sent out a few days before. There was also no mistaking why Rick had been so secretive for the last few weeks, especially when she watched their lips connect more than once and his hand brush back some of her hair. Her said something soft and unmistakably gentle to her, watching as she disappeared back inside the room before heading towards the bullpen himself.

Eva's stomach clenched a little as she stepped out of her hiding place, palms sweaty and heart palpitating. What the hell was Rick doing hiding the fugitive – the _murderer _– Hammond had warned everyone about. Well, it was obvious _what _he was doing with her but, why? Why was he jeopardizing his career for the girl who'd murdered her father?

Fresh indignation rising up within her, Eva moved purposefully down the hall, heels clipping softly on the linoleum as she fished out her cell phone. Checking to make sure she was alone, she pressed back against the wall of the corridor and started to dial.

"This is Eva Jacobs calling from CTU-LA," she told the switchboard. "I need to be connected to Brad Hammond immediately. It's an emergency."

Hammond's assistant answered the phone and Eva repeated her message.

"It's about the APB he sent out on Monday. Regarding…" she was cut off immediately, "…Thank you."

Palms clammy and pulse racing Eva waited for him to pick up. Finally Brad Hammond's harsh baritone echoed over the line.

"Mr. Hammond it's Eva Jacobs. I'm head of Comm. at CTU-LA… That's right. I might have located Agent Evans. Rick Almeida disappeared for almost two weeks and I was told he was attending meetings in Washington but…"

Hammond's voice grew louder and more expectant as he probed Eva further.

"Yes," she answered definitively. "I'm sure it's her."

Eva pursed her lips together, leaning back against the wall for support.

"She's at CTU. You need to get over here."

She gulped hard as he responded.

"You too, sir. I'll see you soon…"

Dropping her phone to her side, Eva realized she was panting a little. Her eyes snapped shut and her head spun a little as she realized what she'd just done. She'd sold Rick out, possibly gotten him arrested, but if he'd done what she thought he'd done…

He was aiding and abetting a self-confessed murderer. She couldn't lie about that…she just had to keep anyone from getting suspicious until Hammond showed up.

Forcing herself to breathe slowly, Eva pocketed her phone and moved back towards the floor. What was done was done and it'd been the right thing to do. She was sure of it.


	15. Kill

Bruised

**A/N:**_ Again guys, I'm really super sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I had a massive exam at the beginning of August and I had to keep starting to write and stoppingand the juices just weren't flowing. I really hope it was worth the wait. Thanks so much for sticking with me! I'm actually really nervous about this chapter…haha. _

_Also, I would like to point out that though there's less Tony and Michelle in this chapter, we're loving them in our minds if not fully appreciating them in text. : ). _

_Enjoy! _

Chapter Fourteen – Kill

_Oh god, please don't tell me this has been in vain_

_I need answers for what all the waiting I've done means_

_You kill me, you've got some nerve_

_But can't face your mistakes_

_Hey, hey, hey, hey_

_I know what I should do_

_But I just can't turn away_

_**- Kill by Jimmy Eat World **_

Jack Bauer felt more than a little on edge as he slipped inside the walls of CTU with Chase by his side. They moved quickly, backs pressed against the cement and eyes darting hurriedly around the darkened halls to make sure they were still alone. Every time he came back here he felt like it was to be his last, and every time he got proven wrong. The reasons were always good, but that still didn't mean he wanted to be back. Incidentally, the reason this time was as good as any he'd ever had before. This wasn't about stopping Cheng or righting wrongs or seeing that justice was handed out to those who deserved it. Those things all came second to the real reason he was risking god only knew what to come back to the place that had taken so much from him…

Plain and simple, he was here for her.

His thoughts remained distracted the entire journey into the heart of CTU. There were things he needed to say…things he wished he could make up to her…things he never thought he'd ever have to deal with again that he knew he couldn't avoid anymore. Sooner or later, he would have to face her and he had a feeling it would come sooner rather than later… He couldn't keep lying. He couldn't keep avoiding the truth because he thought he could protect her. Clearly, she didn't need him to protect her. Clearly, she didn't need him to be anything for her, but…

"Jack?" Chase interrupted his reverie, indicating to the closed door they now stood in front of. Jack lifted his eyes, staring back blankly. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"You coming?"

"In a minute. I want to check out a few things around here in case we need to move quickly."

"You don't know this place like the back of your hand?" Chase remarked wryly.

Jack ignored the question, inclining his head towards the door. "Go inside. I'll be right there."

Chase frowned, but didn't argue further, choosing instead to push inside and greet his companions.

* * *

Alex reacted first, jumping to her feet and embracing him warmly. She asked softly if he was okay and he nodded, repeating the question to her. She insisted she felt a thousand times better, running her hand down his arm and saying New York did her some good. Chase nodded, murmuring his greetings to Tony and Michelle who were watching him carefully.

"Where's Jack?" Tony asked, forsaking a return greeting.

"In the hallway looking for god only knows what. I'm not sure what he needs to check out that we wouldn't already know about, but that's Jack for ya."

Tony nodded, eyes narrowed on the door before squeezing Michelle's leg and announcing he was going to call Bill. Chase looked a little perplexed as he watched him duck outside, leaving him alone with the two women. Alex eyes remained locked on the door, looking particularly pale as she watched Tony disappear.

"Sit," Chase told her flatly, distracting her from whatever she was fixated on. "You still look like crap."

Alex rolled her eyes, slapping his forearm casually and settling on the couch beside Michelle.

* * *

Eva Jacobs felt a little unsteady on her feet as she returned to the main floor, glancing around hurriedly for Rick and finding him up in his office, hunched over his desk. She should tell him, she knew, but she was afraid he'd run with Evans if she gave him too much warning. There was obviously a connection there and she didn't know how Rick would react given whatever personal relationship he had with the woman. Brad Hammond's report had made it very clear how dangerous she could be, and if anything were to happen…

No, it was better she wait until the last possible second to bring Rick into the loop. He would have no choice to remain at CTU and Evans would be apprehended. No muss, no fuss. Alex Evans would be in federal custody, Rick would be let off the hook if he didn't interfere with the arrest, and everything could go back to normal…she hoped.

* * *

"Jack, I need to talk to you," Alex growled, blue eyes flashing angrily. Tony'd been gone for almost ten minutes when she decided she couldn't wait any longer. She couldn't miss any more opportunities to press Jack for the truth. Evading her questions was no longer an option now. She needed to know.

She'd found Jack alone down one of the back corridors not far from their hiding place, staring at nothing in particular on the concrete wall. Slowly, he turned to face her, obviously trying to place her emotions.

"Alex, I don't think this is the best time - "

"It'll never be the best time. I need to talk to you. _Now_."

"Fine," he held out an arm, dragging her further into the darkness.

Alone in the dimly-lit corridor Alex felt emboldened. She paced slightly for a few seconds at first before spinning to glare at Jack, searching for her words.

"When I was sixteen I caught my mom on the phone one night when we'd just gotten back from the theater. She thought Claire and I were upstairs and she was in the kitchen talking really quietly. It was…it was weird. I had no idea what anything was about but…" Alex watched him carefully, waiting for some sort of reaction.

"She was asking for help," Alex stated clearly. "She said something about knowing they had just gotten back from Mexico but having no one else to call…" Her cheeks were hot and her throat felt dry as the words rolled off her tongue. Jack still hadn't moved, though even in the darkness it was apparent his face had lost some of its color.

"And she never mentioned it to me…who this mystery person was on the phone. She died right after that and it didn't seem relevant anymore, I guess, but…"

"Alex…" Jack finally spoke, his words hoarse as he reached out to touch her arm. She pulled back before he could, realizing her eyes had flooded with tears an instant too late. She hadn't meant to cry, not in front of Jack.

"And then _Tony_…" she swallowed hard. "Tony said something when we were in New York about Mexico and about you…about you being undercover with the…the Salazars eight years ago…" her chest felt tight, her palms were clammy and her breathing uneven.

"It was you," she blurted out before she'd even processed she'd been contemplating it.

"The phone calls…the…everything…she was _calling you_…"

Jack's eyes softened slightly and he hesitated before speaking.

"It was a long time ago, Alex - "

"But _why _would she call _you_? It doesn't make any sense…"

"Your mother called me and asked for my help a few days after I returned from Mexico. I was only back for a couple of weeks to take care of some personal matters but she was trying to think of a way out of your situation - "

"Bill asked her about a thousand times to let him help. He was going to put us in witness protection to try and stop my dad from - "

"Your father had a lot of influence within the system," Jack repeated the words she'd heard her mother say at least every time she'd heard Bill arguing with her.

"He would've found you eventually."

Alex blinked back the stinging in her eyes, remembering how hard she'd pushed every time her mom had told her that. She'd known it was true and she'd pushed anyway.

"So she called you," Alex spoke crisply, her tone all business even as her voice quivered.

"Yes."

"To…" her heart pounded wildly in her chest. "To kill him."

Jack nodded solemnly. "In her mind it was the only way out for you."

"- It was," Alex jumped in quickly. "It was the only way, she was right."

Again, Jack nodded. "I know."

Alex hissed, shaking her head slowly. "And you still didn't do it," she snarled. His head tipped a little towards the floor, looking apologetic.

"So, what? Were you too cracked out on heroin to do anything for anybody, or did you just not give a fuck what happened to her?"

"It was a difficult situation," Jack explained, his voice was neutral but his eyes flashed. "I'd been in Mexico; a lot was going down at the time - "

"And she wasn't a priority. She didn't matter to you."

"I was going to help as soon as I could - "

"How considerate," Alex scathed. "Apparently as soon as you could wasn't good enough though, because she was dead a week later. Guess you sorta dropped the ball on that one didn't you, Jack?"

Neither spoke for a few seconds. Alex's muscles were clenched in a vain attempt to contain the subtle shakes in her worn down body, while Jack remained almost statuesque, not moving to touch her again.

"I still don't get why she called you," Alex blurted out after a few seconds of nothing. Now Jack inclined his head a little.

"She was an old friend."

"So was he. You spent god knows how long on that mission together. Why would she trust you to not tell him what was going on or take his side or…" she trailed off, eyes widening a little.

"Or…not?"

"It was more complicated than that - "

"So you should probably start talking then!" she snapped, fresh rage bubbling within her.

"We went to school together," Jack began slowly. "Right before they recruited me to Delta Force."

Alex's breath caught in her throat and she stared back blankly.

"You…you knew her before…"

"Yes. Years before I met your father. Before the mission was even given the green light I spent a lot of time on the East Coast and I realized the connection then. I hadn't spoken to your mom in almost two years. I didn't realize she was married - "

"He wasn't hitting her then."

"No," Jack agreed. "This was before any of that. Kim was four and Teri and I were having problems. We got married young and things were changing for me very quickly. I was spending a lot of time away and that was hard on her…" he sighed apologetically.

"You…were separated?"  
"Not officially. Kim wasn't planned and that just made everything even more strained between us so I spent a few months in New York…Teri just wanted some space."

"And…" Alex eyes had filled with moisture and her stomach churned. She gulped down the bile that had risen in her throat, turning her head to the side, unable to meet his eyes.

"You were planning stuff with my dad then…?"

Jack shook his head, expression solemn.

"No."

"You…you went there to see…" she turned to stare at him again. "But they were fine! He didn't start doing anything until after…"

Again, Jack shook his head.

"They weren't fine, Alex. He wasn't hurting her, but they weren't fine. They married very young and…and they were going through a rough patch. It happens…"

Her throat tightened, her words failed her and she tensed when gentle fingertips pressed into her spine. Jack's gaze shifted to the newcomer, lowering his head almost shamefully.

"Al…" Tony began softly, his body was positioned directly behind hers and his other hand gripped her arm. Her face was burning, her vision was blurry and only then did she realize she was shaking.

"What…?" she spun quickly between Tony and Jack, trying to decipher their wordless exchange. "You…were you…" a heavy lump settled in her stomach as realization washed over her. "Were you _sleeping _with her…?" she demanded.

"It was a complicated situ - "

"Oh my god…" her eyes bulged and Tony's grip on her tightened. "_Oh my god_! With my…with my _mom_…? How could you… "

"I'm sorry I didn't tell - "

Alex struggled against Tony's grip, gesticulating incredulously.

"You just have to fuck everything, don't you Jack…" her words were filled with venom and her eyes blazed. "Nina…Audrey…_Teri_…who else, Jack? Are they six feet under too? Have they been committed - ?"

"You need to calm down," his words were firm now. Behind Alex, Tony's eyes narrowed, obviously not pleased with the directive. Still he bit his tongue. Alex's breathing was raspy and both of Tony's hands gripped her arms now, holding her upright.

"He never hated Claire," she blurted suddenly, as if a light switch had just been turned on in her brain. Her blood ran cold.

"He beat the shit out of my mom and he hated even having to look at me but he never hated Claire…" she pursed her lips together, biting back a new onslaught of tears.

"And I never knew why…I thought it was because I tried to stop him when he…but Claire…he never would've laid a hand on Claire. He gave up Rick that day because I knew he wasn't going to lay a hand on Claire no matter what she said or did to him…" she blinked hard a few times, collecting her thoughts.

"Where was I? When you were…where was I?" Alex glared at him expectantly, Tony's fingers digging into her a little harder when Jack simply exhaled.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you…"

"Tell me _what_?"

Jack and Tony exchanged a look and white hot rage bubbled within her.

"_Tell me what, Jack_?"

Again, Jack reached out an arm to touch her. She snapped away like lightening, throwing off Tony's balance in the process and making them both stumble.

"She was pregnant when I went back to LA. She asked me to leave and I did."

"Pregnant with…" tears spilled down her cheeks, despite her attempts to restrain them.

"So she got rid of it?"  
"No."

"But…but she was sure it was yours."

"Yes."

"So…" her legs quivered. "So…"

"I'm sorry."

"For _what_!"

Finally Jack's hand made contact with its target, brushing his thumb across her tearstained cheek as his pale eyes locked on hers.

"You know what."

Fresh tears streamed down her face and she shook her head bitterly, ripping his hand away with strength she didn't know she still possessed. Tony was still holding her steady as far as she could tell. He whispered something in a low voice to her, but she couldn't make her brain grasp the words he uttered. Her legs were jelly, her throat dry and her vision blurry.

"She wanted to keep it quiet," Jack explained, looking a little wounded at the way she'd torn away from him. "Convince him you were…" he shook his head quickly."We were too careless. We hoped he'd never find out but when he did…I thought he would take it out on me and be done with it. I never imagined he'd be capable of hurting either of - "

"He _killed her_ because of you!" The words escaped her lips before she could even contemplate them and she fought to keep her voice steady. Behind her, Tony still remained silent.

"Do you have _any _idea what that was like for her? Day in and day out for ten goddamn years he beat the crap out of her and you…you just _let him_!"

"She didn't want my help - "

"You should've helped anyway!" She yanked herself from Tony's grasp. "That's a fucking copout, Jack! She didn't want anybody's help but she _needed _yours!" her hands swiped at her cheeks. "Bill tried to help…he never stopped trying to help! I was a kid and I _hated _myself for not being able to do more …" a loose sob escaped her throat and she whimpered a little, gaze locked on Jack's. "It killed me not being good enough to save her…"

"Alex, there was nothing you could've done - "

"But there was something you could've done! _You could've saved her_…" she stepped back and shrugged her shoulders, teeth gritted.

"And instead you're the reason she's dead."

Tony's warm hands found her arms again and he tugged her back a little towards him.

"Alex, I can't imagine how hard this must be for you," Jack explained gently, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Her eyes stayed on the floor and she sniffled a little.

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Given the circumstances, the time never felt right."

She shook her head. She didn't want to hear his excuses.

"I'm not trying to interfere with your life, Alex," he continued softly, leaning towards her a little. "But if you need anything…from me…"

She lifted her gaze slowly, blue eyes shining brightly from her tears even in the dim-light. Shaking her head she pursed her lips together tightly before speaking.

"Just go, Jack."

Jack turned to Tony who nodded briefly in agreement, palms still circling her arms. With a heavy sigh, Jack nodded, turning on his heel and disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

Neither of them said a word for a few long seconds. Finally, Tony broke the silence, as Alex started to pull away from him.

"Al…" he murmured to her back. She shook her head, swiping gruffly at her cheeks.

"I'm okay," she choked out. "I'm okay, I'm…"

"Al," he tried again, closing the distance between them. She tensed at his touch, but he turned her around in his arms.

"C'mere," fresh sobs escaped her throat as he enveloped her in a bear hug. Thick tears warmed the side of his neck as his fingers slid soothingly through her hair. He exhaled calmingly, other hand circling her back and lips touching her temple.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm sorry, Al"

At his words her grip on him tightened and she sobbed a little harder, nodding weakly. When she pulled away, her eyes were red and puffy. Shaking his head tenderly, the pads of his thumbs wiped the tear streaks from her face. She took a few deep breaths, dabbing her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"You good?" he checked. She nodded quickly, breaking contact with him. He nodded too, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon, let's get outta here."

* * *

The first person Bill saw when he walked into CTU was Rick, though that possibly could have had something to do with the fact that he was looking for Rick specifically. He hadn't spoken to Alex in days and he wanted to know what the situation was – where she was, how she was feeling and coping and everything he wished he'd been around to see for himself. Leaving her in London had been difficult, and despite Karen's insistences and Alex's reassurances he still didn't have a complete picture of what was going on. It was only natural he worried about her and her…_situation_ with everyone involved.

"Hey…" Rick looked up immediately from whatever he'd been leafing through as soon as he realized who'd arrived.

"How's it goin - "

"The Chinese know she's here." Bill watched the color drain from the younger man's face and wondered if he'd done the same thing at the realization. It had been Chloe that had been monitoring the channels and Chloe that had passed along the Intel. He'd broken out into a cold sweat as soon as he heard the chatter less than half an hour before, wasting no time hopping into his car and driving directly to CTU. Cheng had people moving in LA. Cheng had found her.

Rick exhaled, fist clenching the paper in his hand.

"Here in LA or here at CTU?"

Bill hissed and his jaw tightened and Rick needed no more answer than that. He nodded curtly, dropping the papers on the desk beside him and turning to face Bill full on.

"How long do we have?"

Bill shook his head. "I don't know."

Rick's eyes snapped shut for the briefest of seconds before he glanced around quickly and inclined his head.

"Alright. We'll get her out. Jack and Chase just got here, they'll be able to sneak her out…"

"What about you?"  
Rick's head tilted to one side. "What about me, Bill?"

"Are you going too?"

He sighed softly and shrugged. "I should stay here. I just got back, people are already suspicious…"

"I can cover for you."

"It'll still look suspicious. Besides if the Chinese show up here and…" he trailed off, gulping hard at the thought. God only knew what Cheng would do if he somehow made his way into CTU and Alex wasn't anywhere to be found. The thought made Rick nauseous. They had to think of a way to get the rest of the people out. They should never have brought her back like this.

"She'll be safe with Jack - "

"She'd be safer with you."

Rick chuffed out a weak laugh at Bill's newfound supportiveness, running his tongue over his teeth.

"If I'm here I can throw the Cheng off her trail if they show up…something, anything to slow them down…"

"No, you should go." Bill stated definitively. "I can deal with Cheng. You should go with them…make sure she's fine. I can handle CTU."

The younger man's dark eyes widened a little.

"Bill, come on, you know what Cheng's like…"

"I do. That's why I need you to get her out of here safely. I can run CTU just fine and we'll deal with Cheng if we have to."

"Bill…" Rick studied him carefully, clawing at his brow in worry. "If something happens…"

"Then it happens." Bill insisted. "Go. Now. Who knows how much time you have."

"Bill…"

"Go - "

" - Rick!" Eva's heels clicked purposefully as she darted across the bullpen to intercept him. Her normally tanned skin looked oddly pale and she pressed her body against his before he could move. Behind him, Bill raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Hi Mr. Buchanan," Eva addressed him breathlessly. "How are you?"

"Fine, Eva, thank you."

"Umm…do you think I could steal him away for a minute?" Her fingers caressed Rick's arm delicately and Rick tensed a little but didn't pull away. "I've just gotta check something down in IT quickly."

Bill met Rick's gaze, agreement passed between them. Rick wouldn't be back when he finished whatever Eva wanted him for.

"I'll uh…I'll be right back, Bill."

Bill inclined his head curtly and waved him away, eyes staying on Rick's retreating form until he was out of sight. He only hoped they had enough time.

* * *

"Eva, I really don't have time for this now," Rick insisted as she shoved him through the doors of IT. "Can't you talk to Nadia? She's better at this stuff than me anyw - "

"I saw you with Alex Evans."

Rick froze, heart pounding in his throat as he listened to her even breathing from behind. His palms grew clammy and a chill rolled down his spine as he turned to stare at her.

"Excuse me?"

"I saw you _with _Alex Evans in that old break room…or outside it actually. You brought Claire down there to see her and then you stood outside with her…"

"I'm sorry, Eva."

"Sorry for what? That you lied to me? That you disappeared for two weeks with barely a word? That you're apparently involved with a _murderer_?"

Her words had grown hysterical and Rick sighed, stepping closer to touch her arm. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the situation. She disappeared ten months ago and I hadn't even heard a word about her until my brother called me. I thought she was…" he gulped hard when an unexpected lump formed in his throat.

"I thought she was gone for good."

Eva's eyes had clouded with moisture and Rick squeezed her shoulder a little. She was about Claire's size and for a second he amused himself with the contrast between her and Alex. It hadn't seemed so glaringly obvious until that moment.

"Eva, I am sorry this happened the way it did. I shouldn't have started anything when I knew there was no way I was over…"

"You…were with her…"

Rick had to bite back a laugh at that, his mouth curving upwards a little.

"Yeah…you could say that."

"She's…the Field Operative, right? You were with _her_?"

His nostrils flared at the distinctive bite in her words and his eyes narrowed slightly. He forced himself to breathe deeply a few times; there was no point arguing with Eva now about how she felt about his taste in women. Right now he just needed to get Alex and everyone else out of there. Eva could think whatever she wanted as far as he was concerned.

"Yeah," he ran his fingers through his hair. "Look Eva, I got some things to take care of right now. Can we finish this conversation - "

"I called Mr. Hammond!"

Rick's eyes widened with horror and dropped his hand from her arm.

"You did _what_?"

"He put out the warrant for her arrest! She's a _murderer_, Rick! She murdered her father. There's been a warrant out for her for a week. I had an obligation to report it - "  
"When is he getting here?"

"He was passing through security when you were talking to Buchanan. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you sooner I just…I wish you hadn't brought her here. The last thing I wanted to do was get you arres – Rick!"

Eva called after him as he made a beeline for the door, darting down the hallway and back towards the bullpen.

* * *

"AL!" The door to the break room swung open and everyone stared in disbelief as James Wiley pressed inside. He glanced between Tony and Michelle and Chase before finally landing on Alex.

"What _the hell_ are you doing here?"

"Rick called me thirty seconds ago. We have to move you…now…"

"What are you - ?"

"Jesus Christ, it's good to see you, Al," Wiley blurted out randomly, sparing ten seconds to lift and squeeze her so tightly her lungs strained for breath. His face landed on her shoulder and hers on his. He felt good. She'd known Wiley since she was nineteen, trained at Langley with him and lived with him and a few others when she came back from Russia. Wiley was solid; he felt like home.

She pushed back abruptly, and he placed her back on the floor.

"What the hell happened?"

"Hammond's here."

The blood drained from her cheeks and Alex stared at him in disbelief. Tony was on his feet in an instant, reaching for Michelle's hand and tugging her close.

"How? How does he - ?"

"Eva followed Rick down here or something…tipped him off. We have to go _now_…"

"But Hammond's going to - "

"Rick said to go."

"No, no, no, that's not the plan - "

"He said to trust him - "

"But _that's not the plan_!" She whirled around to face the others. "Karen's working this on my behalf and if he arrests Rick or if Rick says something stupid or…"

"It's all for nothing." Tony finished solemnly. Alex nodded, checking her weapon quickly and moving towards the door.

"Al, Rick said - "

"I know what he said…"

"Al - "

The sound of her footsteps pounding across the hallway echoed throughout the room. Chase moved first, tearing after her with the rest of them hot on his heels.

* * *

Alex sped down the corridor, the pain in her side and her back forgotten as she darted around corners, getting closer to the bullpen with each pass. Tony had caught up to her first, saying nothing as he fell in step with her. Behind them she heard the footsteps of the others and knew they couldn't be far off either. Still, as she finally approached the center of CTU she made no acknowledgement of anyone, pushing through the glass doors and into the light.

"Almeida, if you fail to produce Evans we'll have no choice but to take you into custody and search the premises. It was made very clear to me who's been responsible for keeping her off our radar thus far," Hammond's cold voice resonated through the room as everyone moved towards the sound. When they came into view Alex noted both Hammond and Rick standing smack dab in the middle of the bullpen. Rick had his arms folded across his chest, looking almost bored as Hammond held a finger close to his face like he was scolding a child. Across the room, Alex saw Bill descending the staircase, his expression urging her to get back before anyone else saw her. She ignored him, stepping further into view as Rick glared back at Hammond. Hammond shifted his hand, motioning to the security guards that had been flanking him to do as he said…

"Brad, stop," Alex ordered, finally calling attention to herself. Tony's hand snapped out to hold her back a second later than it needed to and he could do nothing but watch as she crossed the room.

"No idea what I'm talking about, hmm Almeida?"

Rick's eyes shut slowly and his fists balled at his sides as Alex approached.

"I suppose you broke into CTU without his knowing then, Evans?" Hammond continued, eyes flickering towards Tony, Michelle and Chase and then back to Rick.

"For some reason that seems unlikely to me… "

Alex lips formed a line, her blue eyes steely as she glared back at him.

"Take them all into custody - "Alex leapt forward, stretching out a hand defensively as Tony finally spoke.

"Don't be an idiot," he snarled callously. He'd shoved Michelle behind him, tucking her out of view as best he could. "You've got two security guards to restrain five of us. It's not gonna happen."

"Perhaps then we should start with Michelle and see how the rest of you fall into line…"

Tony barreled forwards, but Alex was closer, her weapon flinging up level with Hammond's chest before Tony had even taken two steps.

"You have what you came for," she barked, brandishing her weapon menacingly in his direction. "Let them go and I'll come quietly…"

"Al…" Rick protested warningly, but she waved him off, eyes locked on Hammond. This was the smart play, they all knew that.

"Let them go? After aiding and abetting a fugitive?" Hammond lifted an eyebrow. Alex snorted.

"Or you can arrest all of us now," she threw an arrogant glance in the direction of the security guards. She'd have both of them dead on the floor before anyone could blink, let alone set off their own weapon. Hammond knew that.

"You'd never be able to leave the building."

"Not without making a mess," she responded coolly. "And you don't want this to get messy Brad, trust me."

Hammond considered her words for a moment before sighing exhaustively.

"Fine. Check her for any more weapons - "

"_Brad_…" Rick had stepped forward, reaching out for her. "Don't bother with her. You can arrest - "

"Take Evans into custody - "

"Brad, stop," Bill protested as he moved towards everyone. "In an hour's time President Palmer will have cleared her record. Keep her on CTU premises for that long, but let her be. There's no reason to - "

"_Take Evans into custody_," Hammond hissed over his shoulder. The security guards moved forwards tentatively as three voices called out angrily and protest, two from Alex's left and one from directly behind her. Rick reached for her, but she avoided his grasp. If someone had to get arrested it had to be her. Security stopped moving.

"_Gentlemen,_" Hammond shouted over everyone's protests. "That was a direct order. Take Evans - "

"Brad, don't," a new voice filled the room. Alex spun around as Jack came into view, his face neutral as he moved towards them.

"Brad," Jack began hoarsely, insinuating himself between Alex and Hammond.

"You don't have to do this."

"Evans committed a crime, now Evans must face the consequences. That's the law, Bauer, in case you've forgotten…"

"Jack, leave it," Alex hissed under her breath. He didn't owe her anything; doing this wouldn't change anything.

"…I know that. And I also know you blackmailed her into going to China in the first place," Jack growled, pushing Alex in the direction of Rick whose hand landed on her hip without reservation.

"Right now President Palmer is reviewing evidence that proves exactly what you and Senator Warrington did ten months ago. It's _over_, Brad. There's no reason to arrest anybody. It was a forced confession and we all know that."

Hammond studied Jack furiously as he contemplated his words. Nostrils flared and the color rose in his cheeks and Alex felt Rick's hand move in soothing circles against her thigh. Hammond knew Jack was right; in a few hours he'd be in federal custody if they had the evidence they said they did. Arresting any of them would do nothing…

"Take Evans into custody."

But eliminating her might. If they needed her to testify to have a case eliminating her would mean Hammond and Warrington only got a slap on the wrist. The thin coating of sweat on her body ran cold as Alex realized how ridiculously easy it would be to make it look like she died while in custody…while trying to escape custody. Her eyes prickled with furious tears and she bit back a sob. Not now…not after everything…

No, no, it wouldn't go down like that. Karen would come through. She had to believe that Karen would come through before it got to that point.

Wearily she leaned back into Rick, her lips grazing his ear and her voice cracking just slightly. It was her or all of them and she couldn't…it couldn't be all of them.

"You have to let go," she barely-whispered. Instead his hands tightened on her and he shook his head gruffly, breaths puffing unevenly against her skin.

"Rick, if you don't…" she breathed softly, taking her gun and placing it in his hand as she pried herself loose. He knew what she was going to say. If they didn't put her in custody this whole thing could go south very quickly. Hammond would stop at nothing to cover his own ass and they had to keep this as clean as possible. Karen would be there soon and she could hang in there until then. It would be over soon.

"You have to let go," she told him again. Her lips touched his cheek and she bit back the sob that threatened to escape her throat. Knowing it was for the best didn't make this any easier.

As she started to move away he yanked her back for a brief second, murmuring something in her ear.

"_Cheng_."

She turned to stare at him in disbelief, just as security grabbed an arm each and pulled her even further away.

"Brad…" Bill tried a final time, moving into the center of the room. "She is innocent! What you're doing to her is criminal! When this is all over…"

"Put her in Holding," Hammond insisted flatly. "_Now_."

"Brad!" Jack snarled, stepping forward as they dragged her away. "Brad…_do not do this_…"

Hammond ignored him, urging them onward.

"Brad!" Jack shouted angrily. "BRAD…!"

* * *

Alex's head snapped back when the door to Holding opened. She'd been settled for a minute, right hand cuffed to the chair and Hammond sitting opposite her. Through the door walked a pretty woman in a knee length pin skirt and fitted blouse. Long, dark waves cascaded down her shoulders and the woman's almond eyes slanted towards Alex. Color rose in the woman's cheeks and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked towards the glass across the room. She wiped her palm on her skirt, her other hand clutching a manila folder tightly.

From the table in front of Alex, Hammond finally spoke.

"Thank you for joining us, Eva. I realize this decision might have seemed…_difficult_ for you."

"Of…of course, Mr. Hammond," she stammered, crossing the room and dropping the folder in front of him. "I'm happy to help."

Alex sighed as she looked up at the woman, giving her a once over. So this was Eva. It would've been painfully obvious she was the one who squealed, even if Wiley hadn't told her minutes before. She was nervous to face her…probably nervous to face Rick after all this was over.

"Were you in touch with Medical?" Hammond queried. Eva nodded briefly.

"They weren't…willing to authorize the use of the drugs unless they were here to supervise…"

"And did you tell them who was asking for the drugs?"

"I did sir, yes."

"Well, call them again," Hammond snarled, indicating to the phone behind him. "You posted double security on the doors?"

"Yes," Eva confirmed as she scurried towards the phone.

"Very good," Hammond's eyes landed on Alex finally. "We can't be taking any chances with you now, can we Agent Evans?"

"I wouldn't advise that, no," Alex retorted snidely. "But you're gonna feel pretty stupid when Karen Hayes walks into this building with a warrant for your arrest and my release papers."

Hammond snorted. "That's if Karen Hayes is allowed to walk into this building. I wouldn't put too much faith on that, Evans. You never know what might detain her."

Alex stared him down, teeth grinding as she watched him smirk a little.

"Agent Evans," he began, his voice formal again. "I have reason to believe you leaked information to Cheng Zhi and members of his organization that could be damaging to figures within the United States government. I need you to tell me everything you can recall that you told them while you were both mentally and physically compromise.- "

"If you want to kill me, kill me." Alex growled, stonefaced. "I'm not playing your games anymore."

Hammond sighed again in exasperation. "What did you tell Cheng, Evans?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Hammond straightened, exhaling loudly and shaking his head.

"Fine. We'll try this the hard way."

* * *

Michelle watched as Rick darted around the room, whispering quiet things to key people as quickly as he could. Jack had left first, off to do god only knew what god only knew where. Behind her, she found feel Chase fuming at what had just transpired. He'd hissed and cursed and jerked forward throughout the whole proceedings, clearly ready to jump in the middle of everything and try to stop what was happening from happening. Michelle still felt nauseous and shaky, even though a few minutes had passed. It had hit home too closely and she wished she could've been anywhere but there in that moment. It was the worst possible case of déjà vu. The look on Rick's face when they pulled her from his grasp…she knew that look. She knew it far too well.

Now he approached them, Chase stepping forward and snarling something at him that Michelle didn't really hear. There was a "what the fuck was that" and accusations about not shouldering blame for something that was neither of their faults. Rick's eyes found Michelle's eyes and she gulped a little, stepping closer to Tony as her own vision started to blur.

"You guys have to leave now," Rick insisted, motioning to Bill with a wave of his hand. "You guys and Bill and Claire have to get out of the building right now - "

" – Why?" she demanded. "What's wrong? What about Al - ?"

"Cheng found her. For all we know, he's almost here. You guys have to get out before they move on CTU…"

Dread flooded Michelle at Rick's words.

"Well we can't just leave her here!" Chase shouted. "Why the hell would you let her take the fall for y - "

"Because it was the best play to make!" Rick snapped back, challenging him to argue some more. "She knew that. I can get her out now before it's too - "

"If Hammond doesn't kill her or Cheng's guys don't get to her first - "

"I will get to her." Rick declared icily. "Jack and I are working on it. You just worry about getting yourselves out of here. I've gotta figure out a way to evacuate the rest of…"

Rick trailed off, what little bit of color was left in his cheeks draining from them. His eyes widened as he and Tony exchanged a bewildered look. Three seconds later, Michelle heard it, a herd of thundering footsteps pounding down the corridors…

* * *

Alex leaned back lazily in her chair, false bravado oozing from her pores as Eva worked tirelessly to get Medical to agree to releasing some of the drugs used in interrogations. So far, no one was budging no matter how many times Hammond insisted Eva remind them who was asking. This was all Alex needed to get through this. She was just there to buy time.

"I guess the doctors down there don't really give a fuck whose ass you kissed to get where you are, huh Brad?"

Hammond's eyes flashed, but he said nothing.

"Mr. Hammond, the doctor wants to talk to you - "

"- Shut up!" Alex snapped suddenly, a deadening weight settling in the pit of her stomach. In the distance she heard something that... It was faint but…she knew that sound. What Rick had said before they pulled her…

Oh god.

"Who do you think you are, Evans, talking to personnel like - "

" – shut the hell up! I'm trying to hear…"

The entire room went dead silent as Alex focused on what she thought she heard.

"What do you hear?"

She shut her eyes tightly and held her breath. She knew that sound and she knew it well.

"What do you _hear _Ev…"

Hammond trailed off, needing no more of an answer. The machine gun fire erupting through the halls of CTU was answer enough.


	16. Behind Closed Doors

Bruised

**A/N:**_ Sooooooo...it's been a while. I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but hopefully I'll get a few bites! I'm super nervous about it either way. Actiony chapters give me a really hard time and I hope I didn't disappoint with this one. _

_What can I say, life got in the way. A few things have changed. This is now the *second* last chapter (not including epilogue). I reworked the end a little bit and it got too long. _

_I really hope those of you who are reading like it. This story's still kinda my baby and I just can't not see it through. Thank you so so much for reading. : ) _

_Enjoy! _

Chapter Fifteen - Behind Closed Doors

_Although we have no obligation_

_To stay alive_

_On broken backs we beg for mercy, we will survive_

_(Break out)_

_I won't be left here_

_Behind closed doors. _

_**- Behind Closed Doors by Rise Against**_

_"Hi." _

_ "H-hi…" Jack Bauer crouched in front of the 2 year old with soft blonde waves. She was dressed to play, jeans and sneakers and a baby blue t-shirt that made her strikingly blue eyes pop. Full, pink lips pursed inches from his face and she didn't flinch when he leaned closer. She just stared right at him with apple cheeks and a thoughtful look on her face. Her mother kept her hand on her shoulder, watching him with wary eyes. _

_ Jack cleared his throat. "What's your name, sweetheart?" _

_ "I Aly. I two." She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Jack looked up at her mother and bit his lip. _

_ "She's beautiful." _

_ "She is." Diana Evans (which still didn't roll off his tongue as well as Diana Buchanan) smiled a little. _

_ "I pway on da side." _

_ Jack smiled a little. "I saw you, Aly." _

_ "I-I-I umm...I pway on da siiiiiiing too." _

_ Diana rubbed her head a little. "Do you want your snack, honey?" _

_ "No. I pway more. Wanna waaaaaatch?" she looked right at Jack before scrambling off into the playground. Diana stayed standing, watching her baby carefully as she climbed up and down the slide made for toddlers. She squealed delightedly, hands in the sky, each time she came over the little bump. _

_ Jack felt his heart swell a little as he watched her play. She was perfect. _

_ "You shouldn't be here, Jack." Diana's firm words interrupted his thoughts. He bit his lip _

_ "I couldn't not see her." _

_ "And if he finds out...if Teri finds out…" _

_ "Teri already suspects it." _

_ Diana turned and stared at him, fiercely blue eyes ablaze. "She what?" _

_ "Teri and I might be having problems, but she pays attention to what's happening in her marriage." _

_ "Yes, Saint Teri, exposing the world's extramarital affairs through her own passiveness." _

_ "Don't talk about her like that…" _

_ "Then don't talk about him. He thinks he's her father; he loves her like he is and he takes care of us. He chooses not to see what was right in front of him because it would hurt too much. Saying I started sleeping with you because Ben ignores me is a damn copout, Jack. We both know why we did it and it wasn't one sided," she growled with enough bite to rattle him straight to his bones. Her unabashedly acid tongue was one of the reasons he was drawn to her...it was one of the reasons he always had been. _

_ "But if you can't admit it…" _

_ "I love you, Dee." _

_ She sniffed a little and dabbed her eyes. "I know." _

_ Jack hung his head a little, fingers brushing her arm. _

_ "He's in San Francisco?" _

_ "Until Monday." _

_ "Can I see you?" the words barely passed his lips but she knew what he was asking. Dee nodded. _

_ "Come over tonight after Marta goes home. I'll give her the weekend off." _

_ "But Aly...will be there." _

_ Diana's eyes locked on the child and she nodded carefully. _

_ "There's a lot of you in her," she breathed. "I thought you might want to get to know your daughter, Bauer." _

_ Jack's eyes glazed over a little and he swallowed. He would._

_

* * *

_

"W-was that...?" Eva's tanned complexion had drained of color and she stared between Hammond and Alex looking horrified. Alex ignored the deadening weight that had settled in the pit of her stomach, staring directly at Hammond.

"That's Cheng," she told him hoarsely. "He found me. Rick said..."

"I'm not interested in what Almeida said to you, Evans," Hammond declared bitterly. "If Cheng's people were moving on CTU we would've known - "

"We _did_ know. Rick told me. Bill probably found out from - "

"There's no way armed militants would make their way into CTU without me knowing."

"Well they _have, _so you might wanna get somebody on that, Brad!" Her cheeks had flushed with color and her throat was tight. The barrage of gunshots had faded, but she still heard the occasional round being fired. If Cheng had made it to the bullpen...everyone was in there. Rick, Bill, Claire, Chase, Tony, Michelle...Michelle who was...

"Then what do you suggest Evans?" Hammond's icy words interrupted her thoughts as Eva continued to look sick with terror. Alex gulped hard as a fresh wave of bullets started echoing down the hallway. Yeah, security was stopping that...She heard them getting closer. They would be at Holding in no time...

"Brad, uncuff me," she shifted anxiously in her seat, eyes pleading with him for the first time in her entire career. "Uncuff me and I'll... I can figure something out.

"Well that's convenient, isn't it? The only option you see is get yourself released from custo - "

"Brad _do not _fuck with me right now! How many people are in that room right now that have _nothing to do with this_? Just uncuff me and when it's all over I'll come quietly."

Hammond ignored her, standing up to check the window and door, trying to see what was going on. Alex bit back frustrated tears, stealing a glance at her other companion.

"Eva..." she hissed under her breath. "Eva, you have to believe me. Those men have been interrogating me for the last six months. This isn't some sort way to get him to release me. I am telling you this is real..."

Eva's eyes widened and she glanced quickly at Hammond.

"We have security...field ops..."

"And Cheng knows about all of that, I promise you. He'll make sure they're out of the picture..." she gulped hard. "Whether you believe that I'm innocent or not..."

"Rick would - "

"_Rick_ is going to _die_ if we don't do something," Alex growled, eyes focused intently on Eva. The sounds of the guns were getting louder. They were almost on them.

"He's head of CTU. When they're done with him they will kill him. You wanna save him...you have to uncuff me."

"But - "

"Eva, we don't have time for this. Everyone in there is in danger right now and - "

"I don't have the keys..." more machine gun fire practically shook the walls of the room. This was it.

"Brad! They're here; this is your last chance..." Hammond remained by the door, shooting an unimpressed glance back at them. Alex sensed the bubbling anxiety within him though. The room was rife with tension and whatever happened now would be on him…

What killed her was that she could save them. If somebody would give her a goddamn gun and throw her a fucking bone she could get them out of the room. She could give them a fighting shot to end this…

And she wasn't losing any of them. Not her uncle or her sister or…

She wasn't losing him like this. Not like this. Not again.

"What do we _do_?" Eva asked desperately. Alex head was spinning a little from a combination of adrenaline and exhaustion. Her body shook a little and her palms felt clammy.

"Just do what I say," Alex whispered, finding it in her voice to be calm. Eva was the only potential ally she had right now. Eva had to keep it together.

"Brad..."

"That's enough from you Evans. Your ploy won't work."

Alex shook her head, rising from her chair just as there was a break in the rounds of bullets.

"You're a fucking moron, Brad..."

A storm of bullets flew through the door of Holding a second after Alex had kicked the table on it's side and yanked Eva down behind it with her free hand. Eva's shriek resonated around the room just as Hammond's body slumped dead by their exit as soon as the door was breached. The sound of a combat boot colliding with the door startled both women and Alex poked her head around the corner just as more bullets ricocheted along the far wall. Eva made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a whimper and pressed closer to Alex.

"I need to get the keys!" Alex shouted over the commotion. Eva nodded, clearly overwhelmed with terror, but understanding.

"I'm chained to this thing! I can't do it myself! If you stay low they won't be able to hit you from that angle!"

"What if the door opens!"

"If the door opens now we're screwed anyway! We're unarmed and they have machine guns!"

Again, Eva nodded and squeezed her eyes shut quickly.

"Okay...okay...I can grab them..."

"Go!"

Eva exploded from their hiding place, practically tripping over herself as she tried to move as quickly as humanly possibly to Hammond's bullet riddled corpse. Alex stuck her head out again, trying to gauge how much time they had left. It was impossible to tell. The doors were bullet proof, but enough of anything would break them eventually. Hell, the glass was supposed to be bullet proof but she had a feeling if he could've Brad Hammond would've told her otherwise…

Thirty seconds later Eva came careening back around the table, fighting to keep her hands steady as she tried to fit the key into the lock.

"Here, here," Alex stuck out her free hand. "I'll do it."

Her own steady hand completed the task in seconds and then she was free. Eva handed her Hammond's discarded weapon not an instant too soon. The door flung open just as Alex clicked off the safety and Eva cried out in desperation. Alex shoved her down hard to the ground as she peered around the edge of the table and started to return fire.

The first two men that burst into Holding were covered in Kevlar and Alex struggled to find weakness in their gear she could use to her advantage. Two bullets a piece, striking just south of their arm pit seemed to do the trick because the men dropped almost instantly. Alex exhaled, diving into the fray and tucking an extra pistol into the waistband of her jeans and going for the man's machine gun.

"Take his pistol," she indicated to Eva. The other woman looked bewildered as Alex poked her head out the door and tried to gauge the position of the rest of their attackers. So far the corridor was quiet, but she knew that wouldn't be the case for long. Behind her Eva still hadn't moved.

"Eva…" Alex snapped. "You have weapons training. Take the pistol."

"I can't..." she whimpered. Alex shook her head.

"You can. You have to."

"But I - "

"_Take the pistol_," Alex's eyes narrowed and Eva managed a nervous nod, taking the other victim's pistol and following her out into the corridor.

* * *

"NOBODY MOVES!" The man dressed in full body armor fired a few rounds into the air and half the bullpen whimpered. Michelle felt Tony's dread without even having seen his face (he'd shoved her behind him instantly, shielding her from the view of Cheng's men as best he could). Fear clouded her senses and she felt almost crippled by it, never having been more relieved he was anywhere with her before. This was different than it had been for the last two weeks. This time, they were like rats in a cage. There was nowhere to run.

To her left Claire looked almost green, clutching at Bill's arm and holding on for dear life. The instant Rick had called out a warning, Bill had dashed to her side, easing her behind him and promising her everything would be fine. Her worried hiss, filled with urgency, had made Michelle's blood run cold. She'd been thinking along the same lines. _What about Alex? _

More gunshots and commands to shut up caused cries to erupt from the rest of the room. Tony hadn't moved in minutes, his muscle taut with tension and his breathing slow and even. She saw him exchange a look with Rick but couldn't quite place it. There were only two people at CTU (two people that mattered anyway) that were unaccounted for. Jack had disappeared almost fifteen minutes ago and Alex...Alex was far too vulnerable for Michelle's liking.

"Alright," the exceptionally large man stepped forward, surveying the cowering personnel.

"Everybody on their knees."

Most everyone was on shaky legs as they dropped slowly to the ground. Tony seemed reluctant, but her hand found his, urging him to behave. They weren't the targets this time. As far as these people knew, they were nobodies. If they kept their heads down everything would work out. It had to.

The nervous fingers brushing across her abdomen were her own, she realized after a moment . Oh god, everything had to be fine.

"Who's in charge here?" The man in the center of the room glanced around expectantly.

In the middle of the room she heard Rick's steady voice and pressed a face into Tony's shoulder quickly as he rose to his feet again to face the man. Tony's grip on her hand tightened and she bit back a whimper. This couldn't happen.

Bill hissed something from behind, but Rick ignored him, staring the taller man down and somehow seeming in control of the situation even if he wasn't the one with the gun. There was a trace of arrogance on his features, but for the most part he just looked mild, neutral. Just how he always did in a way that Tony never quite seemed to manage...she'd always kind of admired that about him.

"Where's Evans?"

He shook his head softly. "I don't know."

The man removed a pistol and tilted Rick's chin upwards with it.

"I don't believe you."

Rick shook his head calmly. "She was taken into custody hours ago," he fibbed easily. "I have no idea where she is. They probably took her off the premises by now."

"Well, let's just see what the boys bring in, shall we?"

"You're wasting your time."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Less than ten very tense minutes later, grunts and growls could be heard coming from the corridor. Rick looked up just in time to see Jack getting dragged in on his knees. His nose was bleeding, as was his forehead, and he looked a little dazed.

"Mr. Bauer," the large man in the center indicated towards a place on the floor with his gun. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence.

Jack said nothing, eyes on the ground. The man sighed.

"Where's Evans, Bauer?"

Jack said nothing. The man's foot collided with his gut and Jack doubled over, spitting blood onto the floor.

"Where...is...Evans…"

Again, Jack said nothing. The man's weapon raised, seemingly at Jack, before he spun around and pointed it at the rest of them. Rick tensed as he surveyed them carefully, wondering who he would…

"The little one," he indicated to Claire. "Bring her to me."

"Over my de - " Bill started to growl.

The man rolled his eyes. "You say that like it's a threat."

Claire whimpered, face in Bill's shoulder, and his grip on her tightened.

"Look, there's no need for that," Rick interrupted calmly. "You have a bone to pick with somebody you can deal with me. Leave everyone else out of it."

"Where's Evans then, Mr. Almeida?"

"I don't know."

"Fine," his eyes shifted to Claire again. "Bring her for - "

"You son of a bitch!" Alex's angry yells cut him off. She struggled pointlessly, three large commandos surrounding her. One held her feet and the other two her arms. Rick's heart sank. Looking no worse than she had when he'd left her, Alex was half led, half-carried to the middle of the bullpen. Her knee collided with one hostile's stomach, causing him to double over and distracting them from Claire. Bill looked eager to leap forward and say something or do something, but before he could Alex was shoved to the ground. Rifles pointed at her from all angles and she slumped back on the floor. Rick watched her fight to keep the emotion from her face, but she faltered when she locked eyes with him. They needed a play. She needed him to make a play for…

"Something you'd like to share with the class, Evans?"

"That the first chance I get I'm breaking every bone in your body until you beg me to make it stop," she growled with far more bravado than he knew she felt. He could see it behind her eyes. She was terrified.

Fong grinned maliciously, raking his eyes over her body.

"That is a bold statement from somebody flat on their back, wouldn't you say Evans? I'm surprised you can even walk anymo - "

"Leave her," Jack spoke hoarsely before Rick could lunge at Fong's throat for even thinking...for even looking at her like….fuck…

"What was that Bauer?"

"I said _leave her_," Jack's words found their bite. "You have me. Leave her."

"She knows too much."

"She knows less than you think."

"Cheng requested her specifically, Bauer. You we're to kill, her we keep to play with."

Alex's eyes found Rick's for just long enough to relay her message. They told him to be cool. It was going to go down like this anyway and she was pleading for him to be cool.

"If I had more time Evans, we might even play with you right here in front of _everyone_. It's far too amusing to see you riled u - "

"Fong!" Jack called hoarsely. "Let them go. Let her go. You have me. I'll tell you what you need to know."

Fong's eyes raked over Jack and then did the same for Alex.

"No."

Alex swore and slumped back, chancing the briefest of glances at the rest of them before shutting her eyes.

"Now," Fong moved away from Alex and walked towards the group of people. His eyes searched the crowd carefully before coming to land on…

He came to stand directly in front of Michelle. Alex snapped upright and stared at them, shouting something on deaf ears. Rick spun around in horror and Tony immediately shoved her behind him and glared.

"Ms. Dessler, we require your assistance locating something on the server. Please come with us."

"Go to hell."

Fong snorted, ignoring Tony.

"Ms. Dessler…"

"No," her voice was slightly uneven, but her answer was definitive. "Locate it yourself. I'm not helping you."

Fong sighed, crooking a finger at his men. Two hurried over. Tony's fists balled. Fong sighed again, motioning to the men at Tony.

"Remove him. Put him somewhere I don't have to look at hi - "

"No, no, no, it's fine, it's fine!" Michelle protested quickly. "I'll help you, I'll help you. It's fine."

Fong looked her up and down, smirked.

"You will indeed, Ms. Dessler, but your husband's going to get in the way I think."

Tony struggled against them.

"Get the hell off me!"

Lazily, Fong pulled out his weapon, aiming it at Michelle.

"Mr. Almeida, go quietly please. I do not wish to hurt your wife. She's one of few valuable assets we've acquired."

Tony's face went pale and he slumped against the men holding him. The colors drained from Michelle's cheeks. Fong looked between them and then glanced around the room.

"And while we're at it, take him as well. He's getting on my nerves."

Before anyone had time to blink, two men grabbed Jack, another two with guns on him, and dragged him off behind Tony.

"Now that Ms. Dessler's going to help us get what we need, you can take Evans out to transport."

Everyone spun around as Cheng strolled through the bullpen lazily, casting a glance at Alex and waving his hand at her.

"Dessler goes to IT," he eyes traveled over to Rick and he took and step forward. A small silver pistol was placed under Rick's chin.

A man nudged his rifle against the small of Michelle's back and lifted her head up.

"I won't be able to crack the firewall alone. I need another set of hands."

Cheng looked at Fong. Fong nodded, crossing the room to where Claire and Bill stood. He ripped Claire from Bill's protective grip and Alex went pale.

"HEY!" Bill snarled to no avail. Alex chirped up.

"Hey asshole, pick on somebody your own size!"

"Shut her up," Fong growled, dragging Claire forward as Bill yelled over him. Claire was shoved towards Michelle.

"There's your extra set of hands. I suggest you use them wisely.

Alex struggled furiously against the men restraining her.

"SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! LET HER GO - !" The butt of someone's rifle collided with the back of her head and she dropped to her knees. Rick jolted forward, but Cheng placed the same sleek silver pistol against his temple. Alex curled in a ball, feeling blood on the back of her scalp. She squeaked softly, catching Bill's eye from the floor and shaking her head. He'd been about to run to her, but that was pointless too.

A minute later, Cheng spoke again.

"Put Evans in transport. Now."

"You son of a - "

"Do we have a problem, Mr. Almeida?"

"You have Bauer. You don't need…"

"Oh, but you're wrong. I do. You should be grateful," he cast a glance on Alex. "It's the only reason she's still alive. Get her out of here."

Alex choked down the bile in the back of her throat, shooting a fleeting glance in Rick's direction as two men wrapped their hands around her arms and she was dragged out of sight.

* * *

"Michelle," Claire squeaked softly, eyes wide with horror as they followed the man down the corridor. Michelle indicated the direction to IT, squeezing Claire's shoulder and murmuring soft words of assurance. Claire shook her head vigorously, getting Michelle's eyes.

"I have...training…" Michelle barely heard what she was saying, but nodded quickly before the man turned around. Claire would've received weapons training. Claire knew they had to...make a play.

Michelle knew she had to make a play. Now she just had to figure out how.

Michelle nudged Claire to the workstation directly across from her, leaving her own back to the guard for the room. He stood directly over her shoulder, watching as she booted up the computer.

"I have to hack in," she explained simply. "I don't have access anymore. Claire, what level clearance do you have?"

"T-two," Claire locked eyes with her, looking expectant. "I have...level two."

Michelle nodded, keying away at nothing and keeping her eyes fixated on the screen. Claire did the same, fingers flying across the keys only milliseconds behind Michelle's.

* * *

Rick groaned softly when a foot collided with his rib cage. He wasn't sure what the point of beating him right now was. It was probably just for sport. The guy wasn't saying anything, but growled and spit and occasionally looked to his companion. Rick grunted when he was struck again, curling into the fetal position. He had no idea where Tony or Jack or anyone was for that matter. For now, all he knew was that his legs and wrists were bound and two men with machine gun guarded the only way out of the room he was in. They'd dragged him there right after Al had been taken away...

And they weren't taking her back. He knew that. Even if it killed him, they were getting her back.

* * *

Michelle glanced across the console at Claire's concentrated face. Claire kept sneaking glances at her too, waiting for a signal. Directly behind her the guard waited, his own eyes locked on the screen. Michelle chanced a meeting of Claire's eyes and gave her nothing more than a curt nod. Claire nodded back. It was now or never.

"Claire, I'm about to get us into the server. Do exactly what I say when we're online."

"S-sure, Michelle."

Michelle shifted a little in her chair, changing her body position and checking behind her. She had one shot, she better make it good.

It happened fast. Michelle shouted for Claire to get down and drove her elbow into the gut of her assailant. He doubled over, giving her just enough time to snatch at the handgun tucked in the holster against his waist. He dove into the pistol unknowingly as he tried to restrain her, just as Michelle pulled back on the trigger.

Claire popped up immediately, watching the blood stain form on the man's shirt. She leapt into action quickly, helping Michelle shove him to the floor.

"Michelle! Are you oka…"

"Check if he has another handgun."

Claire nodded and went to work, cheeks flushed with a mix of adrenaline and panic.

"What now?" she panted as she found a handgun and checked the clip. "There are too many. I have weapons training but…I've never done this...I don't know what to do...what do we do..."

"Claire, Claire," Michelle soothed her gently. "You're right; there are too many. We need..."

"They're taking her to the parking garage. Aly. I saw them." Claire looked at her anxiously. "Aly would…"

Michelle followed her train of thought, but her eyes showed her worry.

"Claire, if we make a play for Alex and she's already in a car or on a chopper or…"

"We blow it..." Claire nodded. "Okay okay, you go to everyone else and I'll go to her."

"What? Claire - "

"We need help and they're transitioning her. She's probably going to be the easiest person to grab. And then if it blows our cover you're already in position to…"

Claire looked incredibly pale, but her words were firm. Michelle hesitated just a second, feeling as though Alex was looking back at her now. Claire knew what she needed to do and Claire would do it.

"I have weapons training, Michelle. Rick taught me. I'll be… I'll be okay. He says I'm a good shot…" she laughed nervously. Michelle touched her arm.

"Claire…"

"We...if we wait too long to get her she could be gone. I can't…we can't lose her again."

"Okay, okay, you're right," Michelle squeezed her arm. "Stay hidden unless you absolutely can't help it and shoot to kill. Okay?"

"O-okay."

Michelle shut her eyes for a second as 21-year-old Claire Evans checked her gun a second and third time before shuffling down the hall as quickly as she dared. Michelle sighed, wanting to go for Tony or Rick or Jack but knowing her play had to be the bullpen. They'd free others and get some help and then she'd find the rest of them.

One thing was for certain though...she wasn't leaving without Tony.


	17. This is Letting Go

Chapter Sixteen - This is Letting Go

_The wind died_

_The whole world ceased to move._

_Now so quiet_

_Her beating heart became a boom. _

_We locked eyes_

_For just a moment or two _

_She asked why _

_I said "I don't know why" _

_I just know, I just know._

_- __**This is Letting Go by Rise Against**_

* * *

_Out of nowhere, a strong hand slid over her mouth, muting her terrified shriek as an arm yanked her in. She knew from the first touch that it wasn't her husband's hand over her mouth, but the shriek still worked its way up her throat and a soft squeak passed her lips. What the hell was he doing here? _

_ "Dee," Jack stated her name clearly, voice low and right by her ear. "Dee, calm down. It's me." _

_ She spun around abruptly, smoothing her hands over the silky cocktail dress she'd put on earlier that evening. Another dinner party with another CEO or senator or ex-military officer and wife, the same thing day in and day out for almost 19 years…even the hitting was predictable after a few weeks. _

_ And then there was Jack. Jack Bauer was anything but stale and predictable. Jack Bauer would appear without warning and then evaporate into thin air. His voice didn't echo through some grand hall in some fancy restaurant as he told an elaborate joke. People didn't chortle and applaud politely at his pathetic attempt at some semblance of wit. Jack Bauer didn't pretend to be strong in areas he wasn't and he didn't put out this facade of… _

_ She cringed a little under the force of his arm. "Jesus, Jack. You're hurting me." _

_ "Sorry." He released her and she spun. He was sweating, his face was sunken and his eyes gaunt. _

_ Her head hung with nothing but disappointment. _

_ "You're high." _

_ "I am not." His hand gripped her tighter and she shoved a little. _

_ "Let go of me." _

_ "No." _

_ She shoved again, eyes blazing. _

_ "Let. Go." _

_ He yanked her into him, lips bruising hers in an aggressive kiss. _

_ And then she slugged him. _

_ "Don't think for one second you get to touch me like that and talk to me like that and get away with it. You're high. Get the hell away from me." _

_ "I am not __**high**__, Diana, I started a program. This is what sobering up looks like, now __**listen **__to me…" He yanked her in again. _

_ "Where are the girls?" _

_ "A-asleep," her face was pale now and she looked bewildered. "Upstairs, wh - "_

_ His rough hands cupped her porcelain cheeks, fingers threading through her hair. His gaze became sad. There was no angst, there was no pain, there was no anger; he just looked sad. _

_ "I came for you," he murmured it almost as though it were a question. "I'm sorry I took so long." _

_ "That's an understatement," she hissed. He tugged her closer, caressing her soft skin. _

_ "Do you trust me?" _

_ "Sometimes." _

_ "Dee." _

_ "I trust you." Her eyes were sincere and her lips barely moved. Jack nodded. _

_ "I have a plan." _

_ "A...for what?" _

_ "Getting you out." _

_ "I thought we'd...you said the only way out…" _

_ "Was to kill Ben, I know what I said, Dee." Jack shook his head. "He's thought of it. He's thought of what would happen if...if anything happens to him prematurely you'll be framed...you'll go to jail. He's thought of everything…" _

_ Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over before she could contain them. "No." _

_ "__**Yes**__, Dee. He thought of everything...there's no way to get you out…" Jack bit his lip. "Not all of you anyway." _

_ Her eyes went wide with horror. _

_ "Not without them," she growled. "__**Never **__without them. I am their mother. I'd rather he kill me than abandon the - "_

_ "If he __**kills you **__they'll be without you anyway...and so will I…" _

_ "You've done okay for 18 years - ow!" _

_ He yanked hard on her arm. "I have never been okay being without you. Teri got pregnant - "_

_ "And Teri __**died, **__Jack…" she sighed, feeling apologetic for throwing that in his face. She took a breath, adding, "I can't run from my children…" _

_ "It would only be temporary." _

_ "No...no, I can't. I won't. I…" _

_ His thumbs brushed the tears from her face. He pressed his forehead to hers. _

_ "I haven't given up on you yet." _

_ "I don't know why," she croaked through tears. _

_ He shook his head. "I can save you."_

_ "Can you?" It sounded derisive even to his ears. "Jack..." _

_ "Dee…" He cupped her cheeks firmly. "I need you to trust me." _

_ Her watery blue-green eyes met his. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. _

_ Diana Buchanan didn't know what to say._

* * *

Claire Evans's whole body trembled as she moved through the corridors of CTU, quiet as a mouse. Her gun was held low, both hands placed on it tightly (but not too tightly), like Rick had told her the first time he took her to the range. She'd wanted protection, she'd needed protection. After her sister had disappeared...sure there was the standard weapons training every new analyst received but she didn't trust that. She needed more. She needed Rick to show her not only how to pull the trigger but how to...how it would feel. How she would feel taking a life. It was paying off now. Now she was taking her sister back without a regard for the body count. It wasn't about anyone else – as horrible as callous as that sounded considering the room full of her terrified co-workers – this was about Aly.

Sounds in front of her distracted her thoughts and Claire hesitated for a second before peering around another men and her sister sandwiched between them right at the entrance to the parking garage.

Alex looked beaten...worse than she had a few minutes before. They'd roughed her into submission...not that Alex had ever really been submissive, no matter how beaten, bruised and bloody she was. She was like dad that way.

One of the men disappeared outside and Claire sensed it might be her only chance. She fired a warning shot past one of the men's head and came into view, gun poised. Alex's eyes went only a little wide before her expression shifted back to neutral.

"Let her go," Claire said calmly, gun aimed right at the one guy. They both laughed heartily.

"Walk away, little one. There's nothing to see here."

"Claire…" Alex hissed, getting her to look right at her. Frustration flooded her face and Claire knew she was supposed to be understanding something. She was supposed to be understanding her.

"Come on, honey, you don't want to watch this," the second man piped up, lifting his gun. "Just walk away and we won't hurt you."

Alex's eyes begged for hers and Claire looked right at her sister. Alex nodded.

"Claire, do what they say," she murmured robotically. Claire nodded carefully.

"I'm - I'm sorry, Aly."

"It's okay, Claire," she barely whispered. One man kicked her and Alex grunted as Claire started to back away…

Suddenly, Alex's foot connected with one man's kneecap and Claire's gun snapped into position again, firing three shots directly at the other captor who was an instant away from firing on Alex. Alex grunted as he dropped, struggling with the second man for position. Claire fired again and he dropped to his knees. Alex reached for the first man's gun and came to stand over the second.

"Where did they put the others?"

He glared up at her, nose dripping with blood.

Alex smashed the butt of the gun across the back of his head.

"Where did they put the others…" she emphasized each word carefully.

"You'll have to kill me."

Alex kept her face neutral and looked him over. She believed him. Sparing a glance at Claire, she lifted the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Alex asked, tone all business as she flew down the hallway with Claire right behind her. She wiped her bloody lip on the sleeve of her shirt.

"Th-they needed Michelle to open something up for them and...and she said she would do it but she needed help...so they sent me...and we….we escaped. Rick and Tony are...Bill's still in the bullpen. I don't know where Jack is."

"Okay…" Alex checked her weapon. "Okay we...how many of them are in the bullpen now?"

"Um...7? Maybe more? I don't know. I'm so - "

"It's okay, it's okay. You did great, Claire." Alex pecked her temple. "You did great. Where's Michelle?"

"Here." Alex whirled around, gun poised. She lowered it immediately.

"Hey. Are you okay? Is everyone still…"

"As…" Michelle cleared her throat, face smeared with dirt and cheeks bright red.

"As far as I know."

"Okay…" Alex leaned back against a wall, willing her breathing to level. "Okay we've got...four guns...three spare clips...and...okay…" She shut her eyes. Her first instinct was to go find Rick or Jack or Tony and get someone more able bodied, but she couldn't take the risk with the kind of guard they'd be under. Not with Claire and Michelle relying on her.

"Okay, we…we take out the bullpen. Guerilla style. They're sitting ducks. Get your shots off quick and change positions. Once we get a few down I gotta think...some of our guys will go for a weapon. We'll have...manpower then."

"What about…" Michelle went a little pale. "They could start executing as soon as they know we've taken over the bullpen."

Alex pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"They won't. Cheng's thoughtful. If the bullpen is...he'll want to contain that first. They'll be fine. We'll get them before he starts to move on them. I promise."

Michelle hesitated before nodding slowly.

"Alright, alright. Of course."

Alex took a breath, squeezing Michelle's hand and urging the two of them towards the bullpen.

Claire was trembling. She was cradled beside Michelle, hidden just off the bullpen in some little corridor on the way to IT. They were to stay out of sight until they heard the firefight start.

"S-so it's…shoot to kill," she confirmed shakily, checking Michelle's face. "I mean…if you were giving me an order, the order would be..."

Michelle rubbed her back tenderly.

"Shoot to kill, Claire."

"Okay. Okay good. I just didn't know if we needed...for interrogati - "

"Are you okay?"

"Yes! _Yes_. I'm fine. I'm fine."

"Claire," Michelle's voice was soft. "Just...stay down until someone tells you you have a shot. I'll do the rest."

"There's...there's more of them since we…"

Michelle said nothing for a second. "It doesn't matter. We have the advantage. They're sitting ducks.

"Okay…okay. I'm ready. I can do this Michelle, I promise. I'm ready."

Michelle licked her lips and let her eyes shut quickly.

"Good. Me too."

* * *

Alex leaned back against a wall, gun cradled in her hands as she peered around the corner. First glance said there were about 5 of them, but more would be in there the second the firefight started. There was no more time to waste. Fast shooting, clean kills, stay in control. She glanced in the direction she knew Michelle and Claire lay hidden and nodded. Showtime.

She had three shots off before anyone turned around. Two bodies dropped dead and another doubled over clutching his shoulder. _2 for 3 Evans_, _not your best. _A fourth bullet finished him off but it didn't come from her. She spun around to see Michelle and Claire on the other side of the bullpen. Claire's gun was smoking and her bullet hit straight in the middle of his chest.

"CLAIRE! DOWN!" Alex called as she took out the fourth man. The fifth got a shot off, but Michelle was faster, ducking out of the way as she fired her weapon. Thundering footsteps echoed around the room.

"BILL!" Alex ran forward, tossing a weapon at him as Michelle and Claire pulled guns from the rest of the bodies.

"EVERYBODY TAKE COVER! IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA SHOOT THEN YOU DON'T GET A GUN!" She barked over the shouting and the crying and the whatever else was going on. Eva trembled in a corner and Alex rolled her eyes, looking for whoever she knew or thought it was worth giving a weapon to. She tossed one at Wiley who handed out the last few to some of the guys.

"Get down!" she exclaimed, tugging Claire close and sandwiching her between herself and Bill. Claire was shaking a little but her face showed nothing but calm. Alex kissed her hair.

"Stay right here. You're doing great."

Claire gulped, but nodded.

"Nobody takes a shot until I do! Are we clear!" Alex called as she shifted her weight and crouched beneath a flipped over desk. She peered quickly over the top and nodded at Michelle a few yards away.

After that, it was over in no time.

Well, phase 1 was anyway. Four new men ran into the bullpen, semis at the ready, but they weren't given any time to search for anyone. Alex was up as soon as she knew no one else was coming, two clean shots right to the back of their heads.

Michelle jumped up seconds after the first shot was fired and a third shooter from the back of the room took out the fourth man. Alex stood up warily and ran through the bullpen to check for any stragglers. They were clear for now.

"Everyone get up, we've got maybe 2 minutes before they get back here," she declared, picking up a rifle and riddling a few of the bodies with bullets just for effect. She grabbed two of their Comm units and handed one to Michelle before putting the other on herself.

"You and Bill are gonna take everyone out of here."

Michelle's eyes widened a little, a splatter of blood on her cheek.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna go get the guys. You have to lead the rest of them out with Bill and Wiley - "

"Then I'm going with you," she declared, voice full of resolve. Alex turned back to her.

"No you're not."

"Alex…"

"_Michelle_…" Alex lifted her eyebrows and cocked her head. "You know why you're not - "

"No I am. I'm coming with you. Bill and Wiley don't need my help and you're barely standing upri - "

"I'm fine. I've been worse."

"Alex…"

"There is _no way _you are coming with me when you're…"

Michelle shut her eyes and pursed her lips, leaning in a little.

"Alex please. I need to do something for…"

Alex ran her fingers through her messy hair and nodded slowly. After a second, she handed Bill the machine gun.

"Don't argue. There's no time. Get Claire and the rest of them out. We're going after the boys."

"Aly - "

"Can the person who has run more special ops than me please raise their hand, because last time I checked _those people _were being held hostage," she spewed incredulously. "I'm the most senior operative, I'm giving the orders and I say get them the hell out of here. _Now._"

Bill stared at her; he'd heard a hint of desperation licking her words. He nodded carefully and squeezed her arm.

"Be careful."

She handed him a Comm unit before kissing Claire's head quickly.

"Get out. Now."

Left alone, Alex turned to Michelle, handing her an extra clip.

"Let's move."

"We don't have much time," Alex exhaled when they were finally alone. "You cut through IT and take Holding...I'll go upstairs."

"You think…"

"Jack's upstairs, I know that. There's only one way up and they're not taking any chances with him…"

Alex paused for a beat, running her fingers through her sweaty hair.

"You find who you can and get out, understood? If it's Rick, if it's Tony, you get them out and radio to me and I'll take it from there…"

"But…"

"You _have _to trust me, Michelle. I won't leave Tony in here, I swear."

Michelle swallowed hard, but nodded.

* * *

Now alone in the corridors of CTU, Michelle noticed her companion's composure start to deflate a little with each step they took. Her fingers twitched and her legs buckled and her shoulder leaned against the concrete to her right. Alex's breath started to rattle in her chest. Michelle squeezed her arm.

"Are you okay, honey?"

"I am!" she sniffed. "I will… I am… I just…really hope I have a little bit lef - "

"You do, Alex." Michelle insisted earnestly. She touched her cheek.

"As long as I've known you, you've always had a little bit left," her thumb swiped away the tear on her cheek.

"Just take a breath," she murmured. "This is your op and I'm following your lead and your orders...so just tell me what to do, okay?"

Alex nodded shakily and took another breath.

"Holding… and then...run like hell and don't look back."

Michelle gulped and nodded seriously before cocking her pistol.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Michelle's legs trembled slightly as she slithered down the corridor, back pressed to the wall and gun at the ready. She hadn't done this in years...she hadn't done this since the Cordilla Outbreak...since that day in the hotel when it was just her and Alvers and it felt like there was a hell of a lot left to lose.

But she'd asked to be here. She'd asked to be in this position because if she wasn't then she wasn't doing anything, and Michelle Dessler couldn't just watch idly by...not when she had a chance to help.

She heard footsteps coming from down the hallway, heavy footsteps in what sounded like combat boots. Her breath caught in her throat and she slipped back into the shadows, waiting for the group of men to pass.

"Secure Bauer!" One yelled. "And find Evans! The chopper's en route."

Michelle's eyes squeezed shut until they had gone in the other direction. After a second she continued, every muscle in her body wrought with tension. Some commotion towards the back of the hallway made her stop again. That had to be it. There were two guards in front of the room and one of them was tapping on some glass. That had to be where…

Tony or Rick, it was Tony or Rick. Jack was upstairs and one of them was here and she couldn't...she'd promised Alex she'd help and then leave.

It would just be a lot easier to do that if it was Tony on the other side of the door.

* * *

Alex Evans was trained for this. No matter how tired and broken her body was, she was trained for this. Her lithe form slid against the walls, staying hidden in the shadows with her gun locked and loaded. Her eyes narrowed like a cat's as she turned corners and climbed stairs and her muscles tightened with every step she took, ready to pounce on whatever got in her way. She wasn't thinking about how these fuckers had cost her a year of her life...or how Jack had abandoned her family when they'd needed him. She wasn't thinking about Michelle and all the reasons she shouldn't still be in this building...or what would happen to her if she was too late for someone to be saved. Her objective was clear and for those few minutes she was back in that icy Siberian compound leading her team to their final destination.

For those moments, for the first time in six months, Alex Evans was in control of herself.

* * *

Michelle's foot collided with the door to the last of the rooms. This was it. This had to be…

Immediately she was under fire, but she reacted faster and fired a few rounds against her attackers. It was all over in a few seconds and someone called her name…

"Rick!" She exclaimed, running across the room and dropping to her knees. He groaned a little and hefted himself into a seated position, giving his head a shake.

"What happened?"

"Claire and I broke free. The bullpen's cleared. We have to get out of here."

His head snapped up. "What about Al?"

"We got her, we got her. She went to find Tony."

"Jack's with him," he gasped, gripping the wall to steady himself as he stood. "As soon as Al was off site they were gonna execute Jack. I heard them. We gotta get out of here."

"What about Tony?"

"Alex'll get Tony. I have to get you out of here."

"Rick…"

"Don't argue, Michelle. We're going." He reached for a gun and checked it was loaded.

"Come on."

"Rick…"

"Grab the radio. We're going."

* * *

Trust Cheng to hide his most valuable prisoner in a room with glass walls. Alex mused as she crept up the back staircase. The chance of her surprising any attacker was pretty much gone and she had no idea what she was up against. She had no idea how she was supposed to do this. The glass was bulletproof and airtight and there was just…

No, there was a way to do this. There had to be.

It only took Alex about fifteen seconds to realize bulletproof glass went both ways and she was willing to gamble she could outshoot whoever was in that room. This wasn't the time to overanalyze, it was the time to act.

She moved like lightening as soon as she made the decision to, blowing the lock off the door and pulling out a second pistol as it flung open. She wasted no bullets, hitting both targets within a second of each other and watching them drop.

"Tony…" She ran over, dropping to her knees and undoing his bonds. She checked his wound carefully and patted his cheek.

"You look like shit."

"So do you," he groaned. "Help Jack."

She spun, crossing the floor and helping a bloodied and beaten Jack Bauer to his feet and handing him a weapon.

"You gonna make it?"

"Just move, Alex."

She rolled her eyes a little, turning back to Tony.

"Ready?"

"Where's Michelle?"

"Out. Getting out."

"Al…"

She brushed sweaty hair from her face. "If Michelle is doing what she was told to do she's out or almost out of CTU. I made her promise."

Tony didn't look convinced, but he didn't get time to process.

"Hurry!" Jack growled, stuffing something into his pocket. "They're regrouping. It's time to go."

They'd barely made it down the stairs when the firing started. Tony threw Alex behind him, shoving them both back into the wall as they started to return. Jack had been ahead of them, but somehow was out of sight.

"JACK!" She shrieked, pulling the trigger and taking out one of Cheng's men.

"JACK WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"I'M HERE!" He hollered, hoarsely. "I'm here. Have you seen Cheng?"

"No." she shook her head, glancing at Tony. Her foot kicked on man's body so she could see his face and her lip curled just a little.

"Come on, Al. I'm gettin ya outta here," Tony tugged on her arm. She shook her head anxiously.

"We have to find Cheng."

"No we don't. We have to get - HEAD'SUP!" Tony shoved her to the ground as he and Jack ducked for cover beside her. Bullets started flying again and Alex squirmed to get her bearings. Bodies flew passed them at lightning speed at in the midst of everyone she saw it…

"Jack - Cheng!"

Jack jumped just as a grenade exploded around them, and the wall Tony and Alex were leaning against crumbled to the ground.

Rubble clattered around them and Alex coughed up the dust and debris surrounding her. Tony's hand latched onto her arm and she swayed a little towards Jack, desperately looking for an exit, her hand wrapped tightly around her 9mil.

"Jack, Cheng's...he's gone. He's gone - "

"It's not over yet."

"You can't catch him now! You can barely walk.

"I just have to make sure he doesn't escape."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I set charges to the building when they started shooting," he growled. Alex's eyes bulged out of her head.

"YOU SET CHARGES TO THE BUILDING? Are you _insane_? You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"I didn't have a choice."

"You didn't _want _to have a choice!" she blasted back, emotions getting the better of her again.

"Aly…"

"Don't!" Fierce tears flooded her eyes and felt her throat thickening with emotion. "Don't talk to me like she did! Or-or act like you….."

"Aly, _you_ …You have to know, I would...would've done anything to protect her - "

"Bullshit. Like you did Audrey? And Teri and...and whoever else you fucked up along the..."

" - And she would've done...anything to protect you."

Tears spilled over her cheeks and she swiped them away quickly.

"Aly, this doesn't concern you anymore. You have to go."

"No!….No, no, this is you running away! This is you not wanting to deal with the hell you put me and Claire and…" she hiccupped. "And my m-mom through!"

Tony's hand touched her other arm softly. "Al…" ?

"NO!"

"Alex." Jack grabbed her arms. "This is what I have to do, but you have to go. You aren't supposed to be in here with me like this, sweetheart." His hand brushed her cheek tenderly. "You're supposed to be out there with the people who love you, not with the people who have nothing left to lose…"

Her nose was stuffy and her face scrunched at she bit back sobs.

"Y-you're not ei-either...you can't...be in here…" She sniffed. "You're all I have left of her…" Her legs trembled and she wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. Tears blurred her vision and the room swayed a little.

"I'm not."

"You're all I have left of…"

"Aly - "

"Stop calling me that!"

"Al?" a new voice emitted from its place on her hip. "Al, where are you? They wanna call in the F-18s. Get out now."

Her eyes shut as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. She hiccupped a sob. His voice. Always level, always grounding, like the answer to what she was supposed to do or decide was so simple.

"Al…" Rick sounded choked up. "Al, don't do this to me now. C'mon, get outta there."

Jack thrust something into her hand a second before her eyes opened again. It was cold and flat and...it was his dog tags. She met his gaze and swiped at her eyes.

"Aly." He cupped the side of her face and pressed a kiss to her other cheek. "I know I don't deserve to have you trust me...but _you have to go_."

She nodded shakily and shifted her gun. She had to go.

She turned to Tony, spinning around at the last second to face Jack one more time...for today at least.

"Jack," she breathed carefully. "Don't be done yet...just...it's not...done yet, okay?"

Jack's pale blue eyes locked on her blazing ones. He nodded curtly and she nodded back.

And then they were gone.

* * *

"Rick, where are they?" Michelle's worried hiss resonated in his ear. "How much time do we have before the - "

"A minute thirty. They know; they're on their way out."

Panic flooded through Michelle, her limbs twitching. "I have to find him."

"You can't Michelle. Tony'll get ou - "

"I can't lose him again!" she exclaimed, pushing through the perimeter. Rick's arms locked around her tightly, holding her back before she could get any further.

"Rick, let me go!"

"You're not going in there."

"Your brother is in there! _Alex _is in there too. How can you not - "

"Alex and my brother are getting out! You're not going anywhere near that building so just settle down, Michelle."

"...she told you?"

"Told me what?"

Her eyes welled with moisture. "...Rick, please, I have to…"

"You're not."

"Rick…"

His arms remained snug around her petite frame and frustration flooded through Michelle. She wasn't going anywhere, no matter how badly she wanted to.

Rick's breathing remained level as he slowly counted down from thirty. Thirty seconds and he was going back in.

* * *

Even with his injuries, Alex struggled to keep up with Tony. Her legs felt like jelly and her lungs ached with every strangled breath.

"Al, move. Rick said the F-18s are - "

"I heard what he said!"

"Well then move!"

She scowled a little, running further through the corridor and further away from Jack.

"Tony, I can't…"

"You can and you're gonna." He latched onto her arm, dragging her a few steps. Rick's voice resonated over her walkie talkie again.

"A minute fifteen 'til they fire, Al. Where the hell are you?"

"Al, you gotta move."

"I'm trying!" her voice crackled. She was trying, but her legs were failing her.

Tony yanked her again, running faster and urging her along. A little more, just a little more…

Tony heard the planes overhead as they ran out the back entrance of CTU. He threw Alex's wasted body to the ground, covering her with himself as the heat of Jack's explosion enveloped them. Cool rain pelted his body and his wounds screamed in protest. When the heat relented, he rolled onto his back, groaning.

"You okay, Al?"

"Yeah..are you?"

He groaned again, his muscles seizing. Alex got to her knees beside Tony. She brushed his hair off his forehead, calling for a medic. At the far side of the lot, Tony saw a petite figure sprint through the perimeter and make a beeline for them. He smiled a little as his vision went fuzzy…

Michelle always knew where to find him.

Michelle had barely knelt beside her husband on the ground when Alex stood and walked tentatively towards where everyone waited. Her eyes locked on Rick for a second before she turned slowly to stare at a decimated CTU. Everything was gone. The place she'd met Michelle and Tony, the desk she'd sat on when she was begging Bill to hurry up and finish so they could go home, the place she'd walked into a few weeks after Michelle's funeral when everyone stared at her...the first place Rick kissed her, the place he told her he loved her...the place where she found out the truth about her mother and...her father... It was all gone. It was time to let go.

Clutching Jack's dog tags in her fist, she shut her eyes, biting back tears as the rain soaked her to the bone. One thought gave her some condolence as what felt like a lifetime of memories dissolved before her…

As Tony liked to remind her, Jack Bauer was never quite as gone as you thought he was.


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue - Part One

Thick drops of rain, uncharacteristic of sunny Los Angeles in the middle of summer, splattered on the sleeves and hood of her jacket as they made a mad dash for the storefront. It was fairly busy (really, when wasn't it?), but it was on the way home and it meant one stop shopping. As they darted through the parking lot his body remained solidly present behind her, shielding her from whatever she might need shielding from.

The seconds and minutes that followed CTU imploding had gone by in a blur. Alex Evans's legs carried her like lightening into his arms, limbs wrapping around him as the full weight of her broken body launched against him. She was soaked to the bone and trembling from the pain and the cold and the exhaustion but she somehow found the strength to cling to him. His arms didn't leave her wanting, securing her firmly and pulling her out of the rain after a few seconds. His breath warmed her throat and she wasn't sure if he was speaking, murmuring her name or moving his lips soundlessly. Truthfully, did it matter?

When he finally had put her on her feet new arms gathered her in. They held her just as fiercely as they assured her that it was over. Karen had come through. The deal was broken, the warrant had been retracted, she was free again.

A third pair of arms, smaller this time, drew her in and her petite sister's form burrowed against her own. This time Alex stroked her hair soothingly, whispering her name and urging her to relax.

Gradually, she began to make sense of her surroundings. Bill and Claire kept her close between them with Karen just to the side. Rick spoke to someone quickly about his brother's condition but he never took his eyes off her. By the time she was settled in back of an ambulance, legs dangling, with a paramedic working on her, he had already staked his claim. His hands had found her sunken cheeks and he'd kissed her fiercely, drawing every ounce of breath she had left in her lungs and making sure everyone, (particularly Chase, though she would never ask Rick to admit it) could see. She hiccuped a sob and he whispered he loved her, lips pressed against hers. The kiss might've been for everyone, but that was for them. Someone in the crowd - probably one of the guys from Field Ops - whistled and others hollered their approval. She had grinned. She couldn't help it.

Now, as they stepped into the air conditioned store with his windbreaker wrapped around her she ached for his warmth again. Her body slid into his and his arm draped around her, wordlessly promising to keep her close.

"We should put your prescription in first," he murmured. She nodded and laced her fingers with the hand by her shoulder. Her thoughts flashed back to what the CTU doctor had told her as he filled out the prescriptions, clearly stating that she wasn't to have sex until several followup appointments had passed. He looked plainly at Rick when he said it and Bill winced to the left of her. That had been a little awkward.

The pharmacist took the prescription and, after a perplexed glance, told them to come back in 15 minutes. She smiled weakly and thanked him softly before letting Rick lead her away again.

"So you're gonna stay at my place huh? Invite yourself, just like that?" he teased affectionately, hoping to get small laugh. He did, feeling her fingers squeeze his hand a little tighter.

"You made it pretty clear you wanted me there."

"I did? When'd I do that?"

"When you kissed me in front of everyone at CTU and asked if I was ready to go home."

"Huh...I did that?"

"Yeah, you did that."

"Must've been the drugs..."

She thwaped him playfully and he grinned, dipping his head for another kiss.

"You need stuff?"

"Yes."

"Food?"

"And soap and a razor and shampoo and conditioner - and not that two-in-one crap you and Tony seem to swear by - and a toothbrush and clothes and..."

"Alright, alright, I get the picture," he led her down the toiletries isle, stopping in front of a shelf of hundreds of different shampoos. Her eyes focused carefully as he grabbed a basket. "Hmmm..."

"Get the coconutty one," he urged with almost a hint of desperation.

She blinked at the sudden change in his voice. "The..."

"The one you always used before...I could always smell it on your pillow. Get that one."

She didn't need to be told twice.

Toiletries in hand they moved to the clothing. Options were limited, but she settled on a few of the softest long-sleeved t-shirt she'd felt in ages, a cheap bra, socks and panties. Hopefully someone would bring clothes over for her in the next few days. Until then she'd just live in Rick's.

He threw a few food essentials haphazardly into the basket and took her hand again when he was done. He set it down between them when they waited at the pharmacy and she kissed his arm and he smiled tenderly.

"Alex Evans?" the pharmacist appeared with several paper bags of medications. He turned to Rick as he placed them on the counter.

"Boyfriend? Husband?"

"Yeah," he nodded, thumbing the side of her hand and failing to specify which. He fished out his credit card as the man launched into an explanation of how often to give her the different drugs, which to take with food and side effects to expect. Rick listened attentively, as though he finally realized what taking care of her entailed. She hoped he was okay with it because there was nowhere else she planned to be.

Emerging from the store the rain had gotten heavier and thunder crackled around them. She shivered and pressed closer.

"Ready?"

He nodded, pulling her closer.

"Ready."

* * *

Tony Almeida groaned a little as he closed the front door behind them, locking it carefully and setting the alarm. He wasn't going back out in that and a little extra peace of mind never hurt anyone. Michelle smiled gratefully, rubbing his arms soothingly.

"You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Kraft Dinner?"

He chuckled easily. "I can still cook something decent. My tastebuds work fine."

"You were shot. You need to rest." She rubbed his sides. "Go take a bath or something, I'll come up and wash your back.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You wanna get in there with me?"

Michelle sighed with amusement, steering him towards the stairs. "Ohhhhkay Romeo, into the tub."

He grinned cheekily, leaning over to peck her lips before trudging upstairs. Even with the dramatics of the last two weeks Michelle had been in a good mood since they got in the car. She didn't even seem that tired, though he knew she was. Maybe it was relief on her part that all was said and done and ended in the best way they could've hoped after finding Alex hanging from those rafters. Alex was happy, Rick was happy, his wife was happy...all-in-all it was a good ending for Tony Almeida.

And he wasn't ever going back to CTU. CTU was nothing but a pile of rubble now. He and Michelle were done and there was nothing in this world that would pull them back into the fray. He was already thinking about a change of scenery.

When she came up to rub his back and wash the dirt and grime off him he was in a haze. She cleaned him up quickly and offered him one of his pills for the pain.

"Get in bed, I'll bring dinner up."

"I'm alright, Michelle," he insisted as she helped him out of the tub. She smiled softly. She was almost glowing. "You won't be in a few minutes, get to bed."

"Fine, I will. Get cleaned up and I will."

She sighed. "You're such a difficult patient."

"And yet somehow you still try and turn me into an easy one," he grinned. Michelle rolled her eyes. Her cheeks were deliciously rosy and she still looked...different. He left her to clean up in piece and disappeared to put the finishing touches on Michelle's Kraft Dinner masterpiece. He was just thankful she hadn't added the cut up hot dogs...

When she came out of the bathroom in her bed clothes her glow was even more noticeable. Tony indicated to a bowl on her bedside table, having already gone back for seconds himself. Okay, so he was hungry. Michelle didn't climb in beside him right away though. Instead she started to grin.

"What is it Michelle?"

"I uh..." she covered her lips with her fingers, grin spreading. "I'm..." she squeezed her eyes shut and he could practically see the excitement bubbling inside her, bursting to get out.

"I'm...I'm pregnant, Tony."

He was on his feet in an instant, crossing the room to her. "You're what?" he cupped her cheeks. She sniffled softly.

"I'm pregnant...it just...I took a test before and I took another one now and it just feels different this time...I'm pregnant."

Tony blinked in disbelief, pressing his lips to hers.

"You're pregnant?" he sniffed too. She nodded eagerly, making a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob as he dropped to his knees and kissed her belly this time.

"I...yeah...I think I am. I'm pregnant."

He nodded blearily, moisture spilling over the rims of his eyes as he stood again. He nodded slowly, running his hands all over her body as a flash of lightening lit up the room.

"K-kay. You're pregnant."

"Yeah, honey."

"That's good."

"Yeah..." she rubbed his arm. "Yeah it is."

* * *

"Are you hungry sweetheart?" Bill ran his fingers through Claire's messy hair. She shrugged a little and yawned.

"Not really, but I'll eat something."

"We'll order in. What do you feel like?"

"Whatever," her eyes flitted upward with a hint of anxiety. "Did Aly call you yet?"

He shook his head carefully. "No, but they had to go fill the prescriptions remember?"

"Right...I'll go see her in the morning. Bring her some clothes and stuff," she smiled a little. Bill nodded.

"I'll go with you."

"Kay...I'm gonna change."

"Okay sweetheart," he brushed her hair and kissed her forehead. "You did great today, Claire. All week; we couldn't have done this without you."

Claire Evans's eyes welled up with tears and she nodded tightly. "I...I think I'm...done with..."

"I know, Claire."

She sniffed and smiled weakly.

"Kay."

He sighed a little as he watched his youngest niece retreat upstairs. It was hard not to feel like Alex should be home with them. It was hard to surrender her over to another man. If it were anyone else he never would have doubted Rick's ability to protect someone but when it was concerning his baby...

"Well Mr. Buchanan..." his darling wife rubbed his shoulders soothingly. "Are you going to shower too?"

"Is that a hint?" he turned to face her. She smiled, rubbing his back soothingly.

"I'll let you know if Rick and Alex call."

* * *

"You're about seven weeks along, Michelle," the doctor informed her pragmatically. Warmth spread from the pit of her stomach to the tips of her fingers. She was seven weeks along. She was pregnant.

"Now given everything that's happened in the last month I'm going to schedule you for an ultrasound next week so we can make sure everything looks good. Are you still taking the supplements I gave you?"

Michelle nodded slowly, giving Tony's rigid hand a gentle squeeze. Tony Almeida, former federal agent, former marine and the man with a masters in engineering was terrified of the little fetus growing inside her. It amused her a little, or it would have, if she wasn't terrified too.

Tony tapped her arm gently. Her eyes snapped up to him.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if a week Friday was good for you, Michelle" the doctor smiled gently.

Michelle blinked quickly and nodded. "Yes. Yes that's fine. We'll book an appointment on the way out."

"Great," she stood gracefully, gathering her files. "I'll see you - both? - then." Tony nodded quickly. A few seconds later they were alone again.

"So you're...we're...definitely..."

"Uh huh."

A shit-eating grin spread across his face and he scooped her abruptly, clutching her body tightly to his chest.

"Caaaareful. Morning sickness," she murmured easily. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"Love you."

"I love you too, Tony."

* * *

In a darkened room the air hung thick around her as Alex Evans clung to Rick Almeida's sweaty back. A sheet was draped over their hips and he held his bodyweight off her entirely by resting on his elbows, face buried into her neck pressing featherlight kisses wherever he could reach. Her hand stroked his muscles idly, encouraging to settle against her completely.

They'd just had sex - made loooooove - for the first time in eleven months. And while her orgasm might not have been earth shattering, she felt euphoria of a different kind. Being with him again was bliss. After a minute he lifted his head, fingers brushing her hair.

"Hey," she whispered. He gazed up at her blearily, eyes still wet with moisture.

"Hey baby, you okay?"

She nodded eagerly. She was more than okay. She forgot what it felt like to be with him like that. Not only was it less painful - both physically and emotionally - than she anticipated, but it felt damn good to feel him come apart in her arms. For the first time in since leaving China she felt like they were equals again.

She kissed his arm and sighed contently.

And then the phone rang.

Rick cursed, rolling away and dragging her against him. "Ignore it," he muttered, lips pressed against her temple.

She nodded, eyelids growing heavy already. She tired so easily still.

Finally the phone stopped ringing and she exhaled exhaustively. He kissed her forehead.

"Al?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Mmm"

"Kay. Sleep."

She'd just started to doze in his arms, breathing finally leveling and her body going limp, when the phone rang again. It was his cell this time. Alex jolted upright, hair flying everyone and silhouette hunched in the shadows. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"Shh, baby, shh. It's just the phone. Lie down."

"Whoisit?" she growled, relaxing back into him almost immediately.

He shook his head. "Nobody. I'll take care of it. Lie down,"

"Whoisit?" she repeated, letting him ease her back against his pillow.

"No one, honey. Lie down."

She shuddered a little, pressing closer to his warmth and finally dozing again.

When the phone rang a third time, he answered it.

"What?" he barked, rubbing Alex's side reassuringly. His whole body tensed when the voice on the line spoke. Her blood ran cold at the look on his face.

"Who is it?" she whispered hoarsely. He shook his head quickly, squeezing her knee.

"Yeah, Jack, I'm listening."


End file.
